James Gunn turned down ‘Man Of Steel 2’ in 2018: “I was daunted by the task”

James Gunn has revealed he turned down the chance to direct Henry Cavill in Man Of Steel 2, seven years before he would create a new vision of the character in Superman.

• READ MORE: ‘Superman’ review – James Gunn puts some pep back in Clark Kent’s pants

Released in 2013, Man Of Steel was directed by Zack Snyder and starred British star Cavill as Clark Kent/Superman. It was a more serious take on the hero, and would prove to be Cavill’s only solo movie in the role, although he would go on to co-star in Batman Vs Superman: Dawn Of Justice in 2016 and Justice League in 2017, as well as make cameos in 2022’s Black Adam and 2023’s The Flash.

At the end of 2022, Gunn and Peter Safran took over DC and rebooted the franchise into the DC Universe, which starts on the big screen with this week’s Superman. That meant Cavill was not asked to return, something he confirmed on Instagram shortly after Gunn and Safran’s appointment.

However, at a recent fan Q&A for Superman in London (via The Aspiring Kryptonian), the director revealed he was offered the chance to direct Cavill in a planned Man Of Steel sequel in 2018.

“When I was originally offered to direct Superman back in 2018, I said no,” he explained. “I was daunted by the task. I wasn’t sure how I was going to do it. Also, if you remember, there was other stuff happening with Superman at the time”.

Gunn alluded to studio struggles with the disappointment of Justice League, saying: “They didn’t want it to be… It was going to be politically messy. So, I said no, and I took The Suicide Squad, which was more a familiar type of group to me. Which I’m glad I did, that was fun”.

He would later say that the prospect of making a Superman film stayed on his mind. “How would I do it, if I did it? What would that movie be like? How could I make it work for today’s audience? How could it speak to people?” he said. “And eventually, (I) started to think that maybe it was maybe something I could do. So, when they reapproached me with the idea for writing Superman, whatever it was, three years ago, I said yes”.

Superman comes to cinemas this Friday (July 11), and has been met with a positive response, with early reactions calling it “exceptional” and “an awesome achievement”. As for Gunn, he recently teamed up with Man Of Steel director Zack Snyder for a skit on cartoon Rick and Morty.

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