Black Adam's Dwayne Johnson commented on DC recasting Henry Cavill's Superman.
In addition to his efforts in bringing Teth-Adam to the big screen in 2022, Dwayne Johnson was equally instrumental in bringing Henry Cavill back to continue his role as cinema's Superman.
However, Cavill's comeback was short-lived as Black Adam premiered before James Gunn and Peter Safran were tasked to reboot the DCU and with their own vision for the Man of Steel.
Following Johnson's announcement that he's done with DC movies (for now), the actor has now responded to the reality that Henry Cavill is too.
Dwayne Johnson on Henry Cavill's DC Exit
In talking with Variety, Dwayne Johnson addressed Henry Cavill having to retire from his Superman role after Black Adam brought the actor back.
According to Johnson, all he could've done in making Black Adam was to "surround ourselves with the best people:"
"You know, all that I could do and that we could do when we were making 'Black Adam' was to put our best foot forward, surround ourselves with the best people, and then also deliver the best movie we could. Our audience score was in the 90s. Critics took a couple of shots. That's just the business of it, though."
After Johnson included Cavill's Superman in Black Adam's mid-credits scene, Cavill took to Instagram to officially confirm his comeback.
Soon after, Warner Bros. announced that James Gunn and Peter Safran were rebooting the DCU, which was followed by Gunn confirming Cavill would be recast.
Dwayne Johnson went on to compare the awkward situation to a new owner taking over a pro football team who says, "not my coach, not my quarterback:"
"It's almost like when you have a pro football team, and your quarterback wins championships and the head coach wins championships. And you have a new owner, and the new owner comes in and says not my coach, not my quarterback, I'm going to go with somebody new."
Johnson previously reflected on the failure of Black Adam, providing his perspective that having the "guts to fail" trumps the notion of the "desire to succeed:"
"[My friend, Inky Johnson], said something that was really profound that I feel ties into this whole thing: … he talked about having the guts to fail. And the reason why I bring that back around to you guys is having the guts to fail compared to having the desire to be famous, having the desire to succeed."
The Black Adam star reminisced on his past decision and how having the guts to fail has led to failure at points, but has also enabled him success as an actor:
"But I have found in life, that the desire to become famous, the desire to succeed will never be as powerful as having the guts to fail. And I love that, because I look back at my own life, and around every corner, and still today... I still have that. And that’s my lead foot. I’m just having the guts to fail, around every corner. And that leads my decisions. That allows me to take big swings. Get my ass kicked on some of them. Fail at some of them. But then, also succeed at some of them."
How Dwayne Johnson Responds to Studio Kryptonite
Given Johnson's efforts to produce Black Adam and to bring Cavill back, no doubt news of the DC reboot was tough for him to swallow.
However, he kept it classy with his response. Not only was he clearly referring to Henry Cavill as "the best people," but his pro sports comparison showed he views the situation as a business decision, not a personal one.
While that's probably the best view to take moving forward, it's still worth noting that the studio's handling of Henry Cavill's comeback was unfair.
Cavill being allowed to believe he had a second run as the DC hero, only for all those plans and promises to change immediately afterward, left him, as well as Johnson, in an odd and unfortunate position.
Still, upon learning that he would be recast, Cavill took to Instagram once more, echoing the Black Adam star's high-road approach in saying, "The changing of the guard is something that happens. I respect that."
Henry Cavill did discuss the possibility of playing a different character in the DCU, as revealed by James Gunn, though it doesn't seem that these prospects were enough to get the actor back on board for the universe's new direction.
Now that both stars have commented on the former Superman's forced retirement, hopefully, they can move forward and leave that uneasy and disappointing situation behind them.
Black Adam is available to stream on HBO Max.
