Newly-anointed DC Studios head James Gunn squashed casting rumors suggesting Warner Bros. has found its new DCU Superman.
The super-powered speculation machine has been rampant ever since James Gunn and Peter Safran took over the DCU.
About a month after taking up office, the pair announced they were cutting ties with Superman actor Henry Cavill, along with the news that a new Superman project was in the works and would focus "on an earlier part of Superman's life."
Thus began the quest for Gunn, Safran, and Warner Bros. to find a new Clark Kent. So everyone and their mothers have been making their pitch for who should don the red and blue for the new DCU, causing plenty of rumors to pop up surrounding the role.
Now, Gunn came forward to speak out against one particular piece of speculation.
No New Superman Yet for DC
DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn took to Twitter, reacting to rumors claiming Euphoria actor Jacob Elordi has been cast to replace Henry Cavill as Warner Bros. (WB) big-screen Superman.
Responding to fans online, Gunn tweeted saying "no one has been cast as Superman yet," and casting would happen "after the script" for the new Superman project Gunn is currently writing "is finished or close to finished:"
"My thoughts are no one has been cast as Superman yet. Casting, as is almost always the case with me, will happen after the script is finished or close to finished, and it isn’t. We’ll announce a few things in not too long, but the casting of Superman won’t be one of them."
The original rumor sprung up on Reddit, posting an email that alluded to Elodri being in talks with WB for the role.
The tweet Gunn is reacting to here misreported that the actor had officially been cast in the project, so that does not officially take Elordi's name off the table, as he still could very well be on Gunn and WB's shortlist for the part of Superman.
Will Jacob Elordi Be DC's New Superman?
Jacob Elordi is surely one of the most requested names to take over the Superman role from Henry Cavill, having impressed in projects like Euphoria and Netflix's The Kissing Booth franchise. Plus he has the look and, at 25 years old, seems to be right in the age group the new DC leadership team is looking for.
What is interesting here is James Gunn never shuts down Elordi by name, instead mentioning that the casting process has yet to start. This could mean the actor still may well end up playing the character and is still in the running.
Another thing to glean from Gunn's comments comes in relation to his role as part of the film. It has been announced that the filmmaker is writing the Superman project; however the director's chair, at least publicly, remains empty.
With Gunn mentioning how he likes to cast films, one would think he would want the director of the movie to have some say in that. This could potentially hint that the Guardians of the Galaxy director is set to direct the Superman film as well.
While no official release timing has been made public for the project, Gunn and Safran are set to unveil at least some of their slate sometime before the end of January.
