Superman: Legacy is the first film in James Gunn’s new DCU slate and it will kick off the new franchise. After the movie’s announcement, fans have been wondering what the age of the superhero will be since Gunn had clarified that he wants to start afresh with Clark Kent.
Also, the co-CEO of DC Studios stated that the reason Henry Cavill couldn’t play the role was that he was too old. But now a new tweet straight from Gunn indicates that they are looking to cast an actor in the same age range as Cavill. This news has enraged fans and made them wonder what was even the point of firing the beloved actor.
How Old Is Superman In James Gunn’s DCU?
James Gunn
It’s widely accepted in the DC fandom that James Gunn’s new Superman is going to be around 25 years of age in the Superman: Legacy movie. This age range was first mentioned in an article by The Hollywood Reporter. The outlet said:
“Gunn’s Superman is a younger version, said to be around 25.”
Henry Cavill
However, now Gunn has rubbish this assumption and stated that he never specified the superhero’s age. The Guardians of the Galaxy director tweeted that all he said was that Superman was not in his 40s and Batman could be a few years older than the man of steel.
Gunn’s tweet is interesting because he doesn’t outright say that his version of the iconic hero won’t be within the age range of 25 to 30. However, if Superman is going to be 30+ years of age, then the DC Studios co-CEO will have a hard time explaining to fans why Henry Cavill couldn’t reprise the role. However, it’s possible that the acclaimed director is planning to hire a new actor because he wants to start completely afresh.
Henry Cavill Fans Angry At James Gunn
Henry Cavill as Superman
This tweet by James Gunn has enraged fans of Cavill who were already smarting from the humiliation the actor was dealt by Warner Bros. Discovery. After all, The Witcher star announced in October 2022 that he was returning as Superman after his viral cameo in Black Adam. But only weeks later, he bid goodbye to the role after James Gunn and Peter Safran took over as CEOs of DC Studios. As such, those fans are now wondering what the reason was behind firing Cavill when the 39-year-old actor is within the age range stated by Gunn.
We don’t know who will be DCU’s Superman since casting hasn’t begun yet and won’t till Gunn completes writing the script for it. Superman: Legacy will be the Last Son of Krypton’s first solo movie in more than a decade. The last one was the divisive Man of Steel. As such, fan anticipation is high. It will be interesting to see if the movie can indeed revive the DC brand.
Superman: Legacy will fly into theaters on July 11, 2025.
