Ever since James Gunn and Peter Safran have been given the reins to DC Studios, it has been one controversial news item after another. From canceling the third Wonder Woman film to be directed by Patty Jenkins, to the abrupt removal of Henry Cavill as Superman in the new DC Universe, the Co-CEOs’ decisions have been the talk in the entertainment industry.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, scenes with Henry Cavill and Gal Gadot as their superhero characters were shot and completed for The Flash. But in a later news article, THR states those cameos might not be included in the final cut: These rumors of Henry Cavill and Gal Gadot’s cameos being phased out of The Flash comes amid a major creative overhaul at DC Studios by new bosses James Gunn and Peter Safran. As part of an effort to redefine DC’s vision, Gunn and Saffron decided to put the Patty Jenkins-directed Wonder Woman 3 on hold and abruptly ended Cavill’s stint as Clark Kent. Earlier, Gunn and Safran announced that the third Wonder Woman film has been cut short due to creative differences with the script Patty Jenkins and Geoff Johns developed. While this is not a confirmation that Wonder Woman 3 was not going to happen, this would certainly delay the film’s production.
— Patty Jenkins (@PattyJenks) December 14, 2022 Not long after, it was officially announced by Gunn that Henry Cavill would not be reprising his role as Superman for the future of the DC Universe film franchises. Despite earlier announcements by Warner Bros. and Cavill himself, the popular actor was deemed too old for the screenplay James Gunn is working on which will focus on a younger Clark Kent as a cub reporter for the Daily Planet. This news received massive backlash from DC fans on social media. Many of the responses have been disapproval to the decision to not continue with Cavill for a Man of Steel 2 film, particularly after the star had exited the Netflix adaptation of The Witcher (with Liam Hemsworth now cast to take over the role of Geralt of Rivia). The extreme reactions have even called for Warner Bros. Discovery to fire James Gunn. The Flash which stars Ezra Miller in the title role has been in development for several years. The film looks to adapt the Flashpoint storyline, which rebooted the DC Multiverse for a time. In The Flash film, Michael Keaton returns as Batman (after his last turn as the Caped Crusader in 1992’s Batman Returns). On that note, while Henry Cavill and Gal Gadot’s cameos are rumored to have been cut, Ben Affleck’s role as the DCEU Batman seems to still be intact for The Flash movie. James Gunn has denied reports that DC Studios will not be completely recasting for the upcoming film slate. However, with Jason Momoa also speculated to be leaving Aquaman behind and playing Lobo, removing the cameos of Henry Cavill and Gal Gadot in The Flash will certainly seem like rubbing salt on the wound for DC fans. After all, this would likely be the final appearances of the actors in the roles that made them famous as part of the DC Extended Universe, and the last hurrah of that cinematic universe that started with 2013’s Man of Steel. For now, fans can catch Henry Cavill’s recent cameo as Superman in Black Adam, available now through the HBO Max streaming service.
