&#8220;Lois &amp; Clark&#8221; star Dean Cain announced this week that he had signed on with the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) team and encouraged others to join as well.
In a video posted to X, Cain reminded his followers that he was already &#8220;a sworn law enforcement officer&#8221; and had determined that saddling up with ICE was the best way for him to continue serving and protecting the people of the United States.
&#8220;JOIN ICE! We need your help to protect [America],&#8221; he said.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
JOIN ICE!! 
We need your help to protect 🇺🇸 <a href="https://t.co/cXcUaDcDhY">pic.twitter.com/cXcUaDcDhY</a>
— Dean Cain (@RealDeanCain) <a href="https://twitter.com/RealDeanCain/status/1952831589487919236?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 5, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;For those who don’t know, I am a sworn law enforcement officer, as well as being a filmmaker, and I felt it was important to join with our first responders to help secure the safety of all Americans, not just talk about it, so I joined up,&#8221; he explained in the video clip.
Cain informed his audience of the pay and benefits afforded new agents — including a $50,000 signing bonus recently announced by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem — and encouraged them to think about what they could do to help protect American citizens.
&#8220;Since President Trump took office, ICE has arrested hundreds of thousands of criminals, including terrorists, rapists, murderers, pedophiles, MS-13 gang members, drug traffickers, you name it — very dangerous people who are no longer on the streets,&#8221; he continued.
&#8220;So if you want to help save America, ICE is arresting the worst of the worst and removing them from America’s streets. I like that. I voted for that. They need your help, we need your help, to protect our homeland and our families. So check into it and join today if it’s something that tickles your fancy because we can use you,&#8221; Cain added. He also noted that there was no college degree requirement for ICE agents, meaning that many who wanted to join up would most likely be able to start work immediately.
Cain talked about his decision with Fox News host Jesse Watters on Wednesday&#8217;s broadcast of &#8220;Jesse Watters Primetime,&#8221; where he explained to Watters that he wasn&#8217;t entirely sure yet what his actual duties might entail.
&#8220;I will do whatever Director [Todd] Lyons wants me to do,&#8221; he declared when asked whether he&#8217;d be one of the agents jumping out of vans to apprehend criminals in the streets. &#8220;If that&#8217;s what it takes, absolutely. I somehow doubt I&#8217;ll be in that position, but I would be there in a heartbeat.&#8221;
&#8220;These brave men and women need someone to stand up for them, so rarely these days are we seeing that,&#8221; he said.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Bad Hombres better watch out. Primetime accidentally drafted SUPERMAN into ICE.<a href="https://twitter.com/RealDeanCain?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RealDeanCain</a> is joining the 80,000 new ICE recruits who are ready to make America safe again <a href="https://t.co/vI7Aj6HadO">pic.twitter.com/vI7Aj6HadO</a>
— Jesse Watters (@JesseBWatters) <a href="https://twitter.com/JesseBWatters/status/1953268733943660888?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 7, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Premiere Of “Paul’s Promise”

‘We Can Use You’: ‘Superman’ Actor Joins ICE, Immediately Starts Recruiting

'We Can Use You': 'Superman' Actor Joins ICE, Immediately Starts Recruiting

Dean Cain

Illegal Immigration

Immigration

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

Law Enforcement

Politics

Superman

Rachel Zegler taught them nothing. 
The star of the live-action “Snow White” reboot trashed the source material in comments that quickly went viral in 2023. Zegler followed that up by attacking MAGA nation months before the expensive film hit theaters, wishing Trump voters “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/disneys-snow-white-actress-attacks-trump-voters-tells-people-to-leave-x" target="_blank" rel="noopener">never know peace</a>.”
More viral infamy. What happened next? “Snow White” flopped, hard, in its March theatrical debut. 
It was the clearest example of a star sabotaging their own film, a warning for other actors not do the same. They didn’t listen.
Celebrities don’t open up to Variety, The Hollywood Reporter and other Legacy Media outlets because they’re bored. It’s all part of the marketing machine meant to fill movie theater seats.
It’s why stars sing Karaoke in moving cars, gulp down hotter than hot wings and otherwise make themselves available to podcast interviewers weeks before their new film or TV show bows.
It’s Marketing 101. Yet stars use these moments to push their political agendas, lash out at conservatives and cause potential customers to avoid the nearest movie house.
You’d think one of Hollywood’s savviest storytellers might know the drill. Yet writer/director James Gunn ignored ZeglerGate in the days leading up to “Superman’s” release.
Gunn’s Man of Steel reboot is the key to DC Comics relaunching its superhero universe on the big screen. Gunn, who previously delivered three “Guardians of the Galaxy” films, was entrusted by Warner Bros. to revive Superman and kickstart who knows how many new superhero films.
<div id="attachment_946199" style="width: 742px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-946199" class="size-large wp-image-946199" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2224028853-732x576.jpg" alt="HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA - JULY 07: Peter Safran, Nicholas Hoult, Rachel Brosnahan, David Corenswet and James Gunn, Co-Chairman &amp; CEO, DC Studios arrives at the Los Angeles Premiere Of Warner Bros. &quot;Superman&quot; at TCL Chinese Theatre on July 07, 2025 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Steve Granitz/FilmMagic)" width="732" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2224028853-732x576.jpg 732w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2224028853-300x236.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2224028853-768x605.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2224028853.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 732px) 100vw, 732px" />Steve Granitz/FilmMagic</div>
The movie’s marketing campaign stayed upbeat and positive for month after month. No one on Team Superman brought up political or culture war issues. It was all about the iconic character – an overgrown Boy Scout who came to Earth to protect it.
And then, mere days before the film’s July 11 debut, <a href="https://www.thetimes.com/culture/film/article/james-gunn-interview-superman-film-2025-david-corenswet-dhb3bw3rp">Gunn got political</a> during a Times of London interview. And nasty.
<blockquote>I mean, Superman is the story of America … An immigrant that came from other places and populated the country, but for me it is mostly a story that says basic human kindness is a value and is something we have lost.” I ask if he has considered how differently the film might play in say, blue state New York — aka Metropolis — and Kansas, where Kent grew up? “Yes, it plays differently,” Gunn admits. “But it’s about human kindness and obviously there will be jerks out there who are just not kind and will take it as offensive just because it is about kindness. But screw them.</blockquote>
The ”Them” in that sentence may have been eager to see Gunn’s take on Superman. Not anymore.
Brother Sean Gunn, who has a blink-and-you-miss-it cameo in the film, <a href="https://variety.com/2025/film/news/james-gunn-superman-immigrant-backlash-response-1236449068/">doubled down</a> on his older brother’s rhetoric on the red carpet.
<blockquote>My reaction to [the backlash] is that it is exactly what the movie is about …  we support our people, you know? We love our immigrants. Yes, Superman is an immigrant, and yes, the people that we support in this country are immigrants and if you don’t like that, you’re not American. People who say no to immigrants are against the American way.</blockquote>
It’s worth noting Gunn’s “Superman” is neither political nor woke. So this was a case of Gunn pushing his personal politics into the public arena, knowing how social and new media outlets would process it.
And, evidently, not caring what impact it might have.
“Superman” may end up being too big to fail. It’s a beloved character who unites generations of movie goers, and the double barrel Gunn comments might not be enough to hurt its box office standing.
Or it could be enough of a wedge to stop the film from making all the money to spark a fresh wave of superhero films.
Why risk it?
It isn’t just Gunn ignoring the lesson Zegler learned the hard way. Omnipresent actor Pedro Pascal stars in the second-biggest film of the summer. He’s Reed Richards in “The Fantastic Four: First Steps,” the reboot of a reboot of the Marvel Comics super family.
<div id="attachment_946201" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-946201" class="size-large wp-image-946201" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2224148805-864x576.jpg" alt="BERLIN, GERMANY - JULY 08: Pedro Pascal attends the &quot;The Fantastic Four: First Steps&quot; blue carpet fan event at Das Center on July 08, 2025 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Gerald Matzka/Getty Images)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2224148805-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2224148805-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2224148805-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2224148805.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Gerald Matzka/Getty Images</div>
He’s spent the last few weeks attacking J.K. Rowling for defending women from trans female athletes. Bullies, Pascal said, make him sick. And he considers the “Harry Potter” author to be just that.
He also used a red carpet appearance <a href="https://www.breitbart.com/entertainment/2025/07/09/pedro-pascal-uses-fantastic-four-premiere-to-lecture-about-protecting-trans-people-in-a-world-they-never-asked-to-be-brought-into/">to push for trans rights</a>. He has a trans sibling and routinely speaks out on the issue.
<blockquote>It’s important to protect people, especially those simply asking for the right to exist in bodies that belong to them and in the world that they never asked to be brought into … It’s a very, very small, vulnerable, inspiring, courageous and brave community that fills me with a lot of inspiration. Therefore, it’s very important to protect that. They would do that for us.</blockquote>
Oh, and “The Fantastic Four” opens July 25.
This isn’t a new phenomenon. Actor Christian Bale <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5O6Kqy3JGnY">called Moses a “terrorist”</a> during the runup to the release of “Exodus: Gods and Kings.” That 2014 film bombed.
The list of stars getting aggressively political while promoting their movies, in general, is too long to include here. It’s standard procedure in Hollywood, but the Zegler fallout suggested stars might understand their corrosive takes will hurt their bottom lines at some point. Plus, the industry is buckling under seismic tech advancements, from A.I. threats to streaming platforms struggling to make ends meet.
They don’t seem to care.
Artists can say whatever they want, whenever they want. That’s the beauty of the First Amendment. They shouldn’t be punished for holding a specific point of view.
That said, an actor’s job is to promote their work to ensure they get even more work down the short road. Insulting potential audience members and stoking Culture War fires for no reason is incredibly short-sighted.
There are countless ways consumers can spend their leisure time today, from video games to doom-scrolling on social media. We need an excuse, preferably a big one, to shlep to a theater and pay the exorbitant fees for tickets and popcorn.
Artists like Gunn, Zegler and Pascal often make it easy for us. Nah … I’ll Netflix and chill instead.
* * *
Christian Toto is an award-winning journalist, movie critic and editor of <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HollywoodInToto.com</a>. He previously served as associate editor with Breitbart News’ Big Hollywood. Follow him at <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HollywoodInToto.com</a>.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

“Superman” World Tour – Manila

The Rachel Zegler Effect: How Hollywood Continues To Lose Audiences With Just A Few Comments

Hollywood

James Gunn

Leftists

Movies

Woke Culture

Actor Dean Cain, who played the role of Superman in the 1990s TV series “Lois &amp; Clark: The New Adventures of Superman,” is weighing in on how woke the new movie, set to hit theaters on Friday, might be.
“How woke is Hollywood going to make this character? How much is Disney going to change their Snow White? Why are they going to change these characters [to] exist for the times?” the 58-year-old actor wondered while speaking with <a href="https://www.tmz.com/2025/07/09/superman-dean-cain-immigrant-controversy/">TMZ</a>.
“We know Superman is an immigrant – he’s a freaking alien … The ‘American Way’ is immigrant-friendly, tremendously immigrant-friendly. But there are rules,” Cain continued. 
“You can’t come in saying: ‘I want to get rid of all the rules in America, because I want it to be more like Somalia.’ Well, that doesn’t work, because you had to leave Somalia to come here &#8230; There have to be limits, because we can’t have everybody in the United States. We can’t have everybody, society will fail. So there have to be limits.”
Cain further noted the difference between legal and illegal immigration. “It’s being portrayed as a real negative thing that we want people to follow our immigration laws,” the actor observed. “Which is insane to me … Here’s an agency, ICE … they’re supposed to enforce those laws. Why are they being villainized for enforcing the laws that our lawmakers, our elected representatives created?”
“I think it’s gonna hurt the numbers on the movie,” the former Superman actor added, saying he had been excited to see the film before director James Gunn acknowledged that the film was meant to be “political.”
“I mean, ‘Superman’ is the story of America,” Gunn said in an interview with The Times of London published on Friday. “An immigrant that came from other places and populated the country, but for me it is mostly a story that says basic human kindness is a value and is something we have lost.”
“… it’s about human kindness and obviously there will be jerks out there who are just not kind and will take it as offensive just because it is about kindness. But screw them,” Gunn continued.
“Yes, it’s about politics,” he added. “But on another level it’s about morality. Do you never kill no matter what — which is what Superman believes — or do you have some balance, as Lois [Lane] believes? It’s really about their relationship and the way different opinions on basic moral beliefs can tear two people apart.”
Gunn further responded to the backlash at the movie’s premiere on Monday, issuing a blanket statement on how the film was simply about “kindness.”
“I think this movie’s for everybody. I don’t have anything to say to anybody. Like, I’m not here to judge people,” he said on the red carpet. “I think this is a movie about kindness and I think that’s something everyone can relate to.” 
Gunn’s brother, Sean, who plays billionaire Maxwell Lord in the film, also chimed in. 
“It is exactly what the movie is about. We support our people, you know? We love our immigrants. Yes, Superman is an immigrant, and yes, the people that we support in this country are immigrants and if you don’t like that, you’re not American. People who say no to immigrants are against the American Way.”

Dean Cain Warns Leftist Themes In New Superman Movie Could Tank Box Office

Entertainment

Wokeness

Director James Gunn has confirmed that the new “Superman” movie is intended to be a political film.
“I mean, ‘Superman’ is the story of America,” Gunn <a href="https://www.thetimes.com/culture/film/article/james-gunn-interview-superman-film-2025-david-corenswet-dhb3bw3rp">said</a> in an interview with The Times of London published on Friday. “An immigrant that came from other places and populated the country, but for me it is mostly a story that says basic human kindness is a value and is something we have lost.”
The DC Studios co-chair acknowledged that both sides of the political spectrum will interpret the themes differently, depending on their individual beliefs.
“Yes, it plays differently, but it’s about human kindness and obviously there will be jerks out there who are just not kind and will take it as offensive just because it is about kindness. But screw them,” Gunn continued.
“Yes, it’s about politics,” Gunn said. “But on another level it’s about morality. Do you never kill no matter what — which is what Superman believes — or do you have some balance, as Lois [Lane] believes? It’s really about their relationship and the way different opinions on basic moral beliefs can tear two people apart.”
“This Superman does seem to come at a particular time when people are feeling a loss of hope in other people’s goodness,” he went on. “I’m telling a story about a guy who is uniquely good, and that feels needed now because there is a meanness that has emerged due to cultural figures being mean online.”
The entertainment exec added, “And I include myself in this. It is ad infinitum, millions of people having tantrums online. How are we supposed to get anywhere as a culture? We don’t know what’s real, and that is a really difficult place for the human brain to be. If I could press a button to make the internet disappear I’d consider it. And, no, I don’t make films to change the world, but if a few people could be just a bit nicer after, this it would make me happy.”
The DC Studios head has been a critic of President Trump in the past. In 2017, he called Trump “an incompetent President forging a full-blown attack on facts and journalism in the style of Hitler and Putin.”
He also caught heat for making an inappropriate joke about Trump on X, saying an interview for any potential employee would include the questions, “‘Do you know anything about the position?’ and ‘Are you on my d***?’ The person that answers ‘no’ and ‘yes,’ respectively, gets hired.”
Gunn was previously fired from Disney’s “Guardians of the Galaxy” franchise when inappropriate tweets he made about 9/11, rape, and pedophilia surfaced. The director was reinstated a year later after making a public apology and attending multiple meetings regarding the incident.
“My words of nearly a decade ago were, at the time, totally failed and unfortunate efforts to be provocative,” Gunn said at the time. “I have regretted them for many years since – not just because they were stupid, not at all funny, wildly insensitive, and certainly not provocative like I had hoped, but also because they don’t reflect the person I am today or have been for some time.”
The highly anticipated “Superman” movie premieres on July 11, starring David Corenswet in the titular role.

‘Superman’ Director Admits New Film Is Political, Says ‘Screw’ Anyone Who Takes Offense

Superheroes

U.S.

Anyone who relished 1978’s “Superman: The Movie” winced over the saga’s fourth installment, 1987’s “The Quest for Peace.”
That didn’t erase the mark Christopher Reeve left on the Man of Steel and pop culture writ large. Iconic. Then and now.
<div id="attachment_930427" style="width: 471px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-930427" class="size-large wp-image-930427" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/GettyImages-166979319-461x576.jpg" alt="Superman, played by American actor Christopher Reeve (1952 - 2004), holds a green crystal at the Fortress of Solitude, in a promotional still from 'Superman', directed by Richard Donner, 1978. (Photo by Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images)" width="461" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/GettyImages-166979319-461x576.jpg 461w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/GettyImages-166979319-240x300.jpg 240w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/GettyImages-166979319-768x960.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/GettyImages-166979319.jpg 819w" sizes=" (max-width: 461px) 100vw, 461px" />Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images</div>
So, after Marvel’s “Iron Man” blew the doors off the box office in 2008 and ignited Hollywood’s new superhero craze, it made sense to bring the DC Comics hero back to theaters.
He’s arguably the most recognizable hero in the men in tights genre, dating back to the late 1930s. So why can’t the industry get Superman right?
Here’s hoping director James Gunn does just that with the latest “Superman.” The summer’s most anticipated release casts relative newcomer David Corenswet (“Twisters”) as the Krypton native. Early <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhUht6vAsMY">trailers</a> suggest a lighter tone and emphasis on humor as much as rock ‘em, sock ‘em action.
<div id="attachment_930429" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-930429" class="size-large wp-image-930429" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/MixCollage-06-Jun-2025-11-20-AM-503-1024x576.jpg" alt="David Corenswet. &quot;Superman&quot; 2025. Photo by Courtesy of Warner Bros. Copyright: Warner Bros." width="1024" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/MixCollage-06-Jun-2025-11-20-AM-503-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/MixCollage-06-Jun-2025-11-20-AM-503-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/MixCollage-06-Jun-2025-11-20-AM-503-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/MixCollage-06-Jun-2025-11-20-AM-503-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/MixCollage-06-Jun-2025-11-20-AM-503-2048x1152.jpg 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />Photo by Courtesy of Warner Bros. Copyright: Warner Bros.</div>
Why is it so hard to make the Man of Steel as popular as the Hulk or Thor on movie screens? 
We’ve had endless small-screen Supermen, from George Reeves’ ‘50s era here to Dean Cain in the rom-com-ish ‘90s series “Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman.”
The first major attempt at Superman came two years before Robert Downey, Jr. kick-started the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The 2006 film “Superman Returns” deployed a Reeve doppelganger (Brandon Routh) but underwhelmed at the box office.
Something was missing, and not just the “American Way.” The film ditched the hero’s signature phrase, “Truth, Justice and the American Way” to placate foreign audiences or the industry’s Left-leaning sensibilities.
By the time Warner Bros. hired Henry Cavill to play Clark Kent the superhero craze was in full swing, but this wasn’t your father’s Superman. Cavill’s “Man of Steel” (2013) was conflicted, a far cry from Reeve’s Boy Scout persona. Even the legendary suit’s colors were muted, a darker shade to reflect his inner turmoil.
<div id="attachment_930431" style="width: 812px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-930431" class="size-large wp-image-930431" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/GettyImages-171517650-802x576.jpg" alt="SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - JUNE 25: (EUROPE AND AUSTRALASIA OUT) British actor Henry Cavill poses during a photo shoot on June 25, 2013 in Sydney, Australia. Cavill is in Australia to promote his new superman film 'Man of Steel'. (Photo by Chris Pavlich/Newspix/Getty Images)" width="802" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/GettyImages-171517650-802x576.jpg 802w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/GettyImages-171517650-300x215.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/GettyImages-171517650-768x551.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/GettyImages-171517650.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 802px) 100vw, 802px" />Chris Pavlich/Newspix/Getty Images</div>
The film made millions, but it didn’t rock the culture like Reeve did in the late 1970s nor did it generate a direct sequel. Cavill starred in “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” (2016) and “Justice League” (2017).
Cavill made a Superman cameo in the 2022 disappointment “Black Adam” before learning he was out of the DCEU (DC Extended Universe).
It’s not surprising that Hollywood has struggled to make Superman “Superman.” Antiheroes are all the rage in Tinsel Town, from Tony Soprano to the misfit warriors of “Thunderbolts*” and two “Suicide Squad” films.
It’s hard to make a Boy Scout-like hero pop off the screen in our cynical age. The writing must be rich and detailed, showcasing layers that make the “aw, shucks” heroism matter. Antiheroes offer far more shades of gray and opportunities to grab our attention. That’s what Walter White did for five mesmerizing seasons of “Breaking Bad.”
“Say my name!”
Goody two-shoes characters aren’t hip in the eyes of many screenwriters. White hat heroes need not apply. How many recent films have glorified hit men, paid assassins who serve as judge, jury and executioner? The “John Wick” saga is the tip of that morally dubious iceberg.
So where does that leave this summer’s Superman reboot?
It’s Gunn’s baby, through and through. The veteran writer/director is in charge of the DCEU’s reboot, and this is his coming-out party after working with the MCU on the “Guardians of the Galaxy” trilogy.
<div id="attachment_930433" style="width: 879px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-930433" class="size-large wp-image-930433" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/GettyImages-2179646001-869x576.jpg" alt="NEW YORK, NEW YORK - OCTOBER 19: James Gunn speaks at the DC Studios Creature Commandos panel during New York Comic Con 2024 at The Jacob K. Javits Convention Center on October 19, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Craig Barritt/Getty Images for ReedPop)" width="869" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/GettyImages-2179646001-869x576.jpg 869w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/GettyImages-2179646001-300x199.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/GettyImages-2179646001-768x509.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/GettyImages-2179646001.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 869px) 100vw, 869px" />Craig Barritt/Getty Images for ReedPop</div>
Gunn brings a quirky sense of humor to his work, but he’s hardly a traditionalist. He also has a dark side. He previously got canceled in 2018 for resurfaced <a href="https://deadline.com/2018/07/james-gunn-fired-guardians-of-the-galaxy-disney-offensive-tweets-1202430392/">pedophilia and rape jokes</a> on Twitter. Disney later had a change of heart and hired him to helm the third film in the “Guardians” saga.
<a href="https://www.indiewire.com/features/general/james-gunn-donald-trump-dick-joke-twitter-james-mangold-1201908489/">Gunn also blasted then-President Trump</a>, a common pose in his field.
The Daily Wire’s Ben Shapiro, no fan of Gunn’s work, has <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EbefouUAF2w">low expectations</a> for the new reboot after reviewing the trailer. “Two thumbs down.”
A recent revelation suggests Hollywood didn’t learn from its past mistakes. Official “Superman” movie merchandise drops the “American Way” phrase once more in favor of “<a href="https://cosmicbook.news/james-gunn-superman-ditches-the-american-way">the human way.”</a>
Yet the director <a href="https://thescreenbrief.com/james-gunn-interview-superman-teaser-press-launch/">spoke to the character’s innate goodness</a> in a late 2024 interview that suggests a Reeve-like take on the material. 
“We can expect a Superman who is about the compassion of the human spirit, a Superman who is about kindness, love and compassion, while also being a very strong character. He is the best of humanity, even though he is an alien from outer space.”
Maybe Gunn will rise to the cultural occasion. We could use a unifying hero like Superman at this point in American culture. We’re at each other’s throats over political differences, egged on by social media platforms that feast on conflict.
<div id="attachment_930443" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-930443" class="size-large wp-image-930443" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/GettyImages-2172998627-864x576.jpg" alt="NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 18: (L-R) Peter Safran, Co-Chairman &amp; CEO, DC Studios, David Corenswet and James Gunn, Co-Chairman &amp; CEO, DC Studios attend &quot;Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story&quot; New York Premiere at Museum of Modern Art on September 18, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/GettyImages-2172998627-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/GettyImages-2172998627-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/GettyImages-2172998627-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/GettyImages-2172998627.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images</div>
Superman isn’t Right or Left, although his Midwest upbringing suggests he’d call the former camp home. Still, Reeve’s Superman never became a culture war talking point. His chaste pursuit of Margot Kidder’s Lois Land was PG-rated perfection. He’s true to his word and lives to save cats stuck in trees.
That’s all for the good.
Gunn teased Superman’s core strength as a character in the aforementioned interview, another tease that he might be channeling the Reeve model.
“[He’s ]this symbol of really old-fashioned values and hope, and it’s an idea that’s been a bit battered over the years.”
Gunn is no conservative, but he may realize “Superman” needs heartland values to connect with the character’s past … and the franchise’s future. That’s assuming he still has one.
* * *
Christian Toto is an award-winning journalist, movie critic and editor of <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HollywoodInToto.com</a>. He previously served as associate editor with Breitbart News’ Big Hollywood. Follow him at <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HollywoodInToto.com</a>.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
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Auction Of Superman Suit In Melbourne – Preview

Why Can’t Hollywood Get Superman Right?

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On Friday, the day after he was elected as the first pope from the United States, Pope Leo XIV told cardinals that he intended to correct the notion that Jesus Christ was simply a “charismatic leader or superman.”
As he celebrated his first Mass in the Sistine Chapel, Leo also opined that many people across the world consider the Christian faith “absurd,” the Associated Press <a href="https://apnews.com/article/vatican-pope-prevost-leo-cardinals-1c1752bacc935c02af5f839a05de9a39" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
“This is true not only among non-believers but also among many baptized Christians, who thus end up living, at this level, in a state of practical atheism,” he stated. “Yet, precisely for this reason, they are the places where our missionary outreach is desperately needed. A lack of faith is often tragically accompanied by the loss of meaning in life, the neglect of mercy, appalling violations of human dignity, the crisis of the family and so many other wounds that afflict our society.”
Leo, who helped Pope Francis implement a change whereby women were added to the voting committee that decided which nominations for bishops should be sent to the pope, also saw that two women delivered the Scripture readings at the start of the Mass on Friday.
Leo is scheduled to deliver a noon blessing from the loggia of St. Peter’s on Sunday and speak with the media on Monday, according to Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni.
His first foreign trip could be at the end of the month as Pope Francis had been invited to travel to Turkey to mark the 1,700th anniversary of the First Council of Nicaea, the Associated Press reported. That Council largely revolved around the debate over Arianism, the Christological position that Jesus was created by God. At the time, Arianism was popular in much of the Roman Empire. The Council, convened by the Roman emperor Constantine, declared Arianism as heresy.
“Arius’s basic premise was the uniqueness of God, who is alone self-existent (not dependent for its existence on anything else) and immutable; the Son, who is not self-existent, cannot therefore be the self-existent and immutable God. Because the Godhead is unique, it cannot be shared or communicated. Because the Godhead is immutable, the Son, who is mutable, must, therefore, be deemed a creature who has been called into existence out of nothing and has had a beginning,” Britannica <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Arianism" target="_blank" rel="noopener">explains</a>.

First Day Of Pope Leo XIV

New Pope Leo Celebrates First Mass: Jesus Was Not Just A ‘Charismatic Leader Or Superman’

Jesus Christ

Pope Leo

If there’s one thing that puts me in a worse mood than politics, it’s Hollywood, which never fails to disappoint in its stupidity and its arrogance.
I watched the new preview for “Superman” from director James Gunn. As you may know, I’m not a huge James Gunn fan. His work on &#8220;Guardians of the Galaxy” is fine, when he engages in ridiculous, gonzo humor. But elsewhere?
Back in the day, Gunn’s old jokey and ugly tweets were resurfaced. Based on those old tweets, he was actually fired by Marvel. I publicly supported the idea that he should be rehired because people shouldn&#8217;t be canceled based on jokes they made back when Twitter was a jokier platform.
But now he&#8217;s directing the new “Superman” movie and the preview sucks. It&#8217;s bad. It’s terrible.
In the preview, Superman is wounded and lying on the snow, then whistles for Krypto, the Superdog, who arrives and then proceeds to beat the living hell out of him for over a minute. He&#8217;s screaming in pain as Krypto jumps on him and continues to fight him.
I don&#8217;t see the purpose of this; it’s not dramatic. It&#8217;s just silly and ridiculous.
<h3><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ep-2173-fallout-stock-market-drops-trump-pushes-on-member-exclusive?row=2&amp;elementPosition=3&amp;rowType=Horizontal+Show+Episodes+Carousel&amp;rowHeadline=Latest+Episodes" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WATCH: The Ben Shapiro Show</a></h3>
Finally, Krypto figures out that he needs to take Superman back to the Fortress of Solitude. Every James Gunn joke is a Monty Python gag that lasts three times too long. So now Krypto is dragging Superman&#8217;s prone body through the snow back toward the Fortress of Solitude, which arises from the Arctic. And it&#8217;s a cool-looking Fortress of Solitude.
But don&#8217;t worry, it gets worse.
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Superman | Sneak Peek" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xFU8U4UVUBs?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Once Superman is brought inside, a team of robots, presumably of Kryptonian origin, starts to handle him and then they have one of the most nonsensical exchanges in any James Gunn movie. They say robots have no feelings, and then the female robot starts giggling like a little girl.
The entire attitude is wrong. The gold standard for a “Superman” movie remains the original “Superman” from 1978, by far the best “Superman” movie. It was significantly better than “Man of Steel” because it understood in the first half that there&#8217;s a solemnity to Superman, that he is supposed to be the embodiment of America, and then the second half of the movie shifted into a more comic-book, humorous mode. The color palette was very rich and very bright.
In “Man of Steel,” they basically desaturated the entire film so the entire color palette was grayscale and kind of ugly and dark and the entire character of Superman was much darker.
The attitude of the preview is totally wrong. It&#8217;s just “Guardians of the Galaxy” in a Superman suit, and it ticks me off, it really does. As a lifelong fan of the Superman brand, it&#8217;s not that hard to get Superman right. He&#8217;s supposed to be the embodiment of everything cool and heroic about America. And of course, he&#8217;s supposed to be charming as well. That&#8217;s the whole shtick.
So you don&#8217;t need full-scale James Gunn. He makes Superman the same as Chris Pratt&#8217;s character in “Guardians of the Galaxy” and all the jokes are the same as the “Guardians of the Galaxy” movies. It&#8217;s silly and stupid and bad. Two thumbs down.
Then I discovered that for Greta Gerwig&#8217;s Netflix adaptation of “The Magician&#8217;s Nephew” — the first book in C.S. Lewis’ Narnia series — the person who they are thinking about casting as the voice for the lion Aslan — who is obviously a metaphor for Jesus — is Meryl Streep.
This makes no sense at all on a character level. On a metaphorical level, it&#8217;s one of the dumbest things you could possibly do. If you want to alienate the entire C.S. Lewis audience, this is exactly what you should do. Meanwhile, Charli XCX is apparently in talks for the role of the White Witch.
Why are they doing this??
Just adapt the story straight. It&#8217;s not that difficult. It’s a great book. Adapt it straight.
This is the same as that ridiculous suggestion a while back that Cynthia Erivo was going to be cast in “Jesus Christ Superstar” as Jesus.
Stop with this stuff. Stop it. Just stop. It&#8217;s stupid and it&#8217;s insulting and it&#8217;s gross and you would never do this with any other religion. You wouldn&#8217;t.
It&#8217;s ridiculous and annoying and demonstrative of how Hollywood spits on people who don&#8217;t believe the things they believe, and then takes classic intellectual property from those spaces and uses it against them.

CinemaCon 2025 – Warner Bros. Pictures Presentation – Inside

Superman, Jesus, And Hollywood Stupidity

Opinion

The first trailer for the new “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/superman" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Superman</a>” movie has finally dropped, and between the iconic John Williams theme music and the action packed clip, everyone is getting excited to see it.
On Thursday, DC Studios shared the two-minute plus <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhUht6vAsMY">trailer</a> on YouTube and it quickly became the top trending video on the site with more than 9 million views and counting at the time of this publication.
The first shot shows Superman, aka Clark Kent, played by David Corenswet, all bloody and bruised after landing hard on a frozen landscape, as he wheezes and gasps for air.
Help soon arrives from his trusty four-legged sidekick Krypto as Superman utters one of the few words in the entire clip, “Take Me Home.”
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Superman | Official Teaser Trailer" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/uhUht6vAsMY?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
The new superhero film comes from writer-director James Gunn &#8212; known for the hit “Guardians of the Galaxy” franchise.
“It&#8217;s not just Clark. It&#8217;s not just Superman,” Gunn said at the trailer reveal, per <a href="https://www.ign.com/articles/superman-james-gunn-trailer-dc-characters-krypto-luthor">IGN</a>. “It&#8217;s Clark/Superman. And the only people that know Clark/Superman are his mom and his dad and a few others who know who he is, and those are very different things.”
“People said all sorts of different things,” he added. “They said, ‘Clark&#8217;s the real one.’ They said, ‘Superman&#8217;s the real one and Clark&#8217;s the secret identity.’ But I don&#8217;t &#8211; and it says it in my script on the second page &#8211; I don&#8217;t believe either of those things. I don&#8217;t think anybody knows Superman unless they know both of him. And when they know both of him, they know the real guy. And that means not too many people.”
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Speaking to members of the press at the trailer launch, Gunn also talked about incorporating the goodness of the Man of Steel as a representative of the U.S.A., <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/superman-trailer-james-gunn-movie-1236089850/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to The Hollywood Reporter.
“I think that’s what ‘Take me home&#8217; is all about,&#8221; Gunn said. “We do have sort of a battered vision of Superman at the beginning, and I think that is our country.”
“I believe in the goodness of human beings, and I believe that most people in this country, despite their ideological beliefs or their politics, are doing their best to get by and trying to be good people, despite what it may seem like for the other side, no matter what that other side might be,” he added.
The video is full of action with familiar faces of the franchise both good and evil, like Lois Lane, Mr. Terrific, and Hawkgirl. Most notable has got to be the new face of villain Lex Luthor, played by Nicholas Hoult.
“Lex is really a sort of sorcerer in a way,” Gunn previously told <a href="https://www.ign.com/articles/superman-james-gunn-trailer-dc-characters-krypto-luthor">reporters</a>. &#8220;He&#8217;s a scientist, but he&#8217;s so good at science and I think of him as like a sorcerer.”
“Superman” hits theaters next summer on July 11, 2025.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/no-one-loves-to-be-harassed-james-gunn-replies-to-haters-after-backlash-over-wonder-woman-sequel-henry-cavill-exit" target="_blank" rel="noopener">‘No One Loves To Be Harassed’: James Gunn Replies To Haters After Backlash Over ‘Wonder Woman’ Sequel, Henry Cavill Exit</a>

First Trailer For ‘Superman’ Finally Drops, And Fans Are Very Excited

&#8220;Shazam&#8221; star Zachary Levi said he almost didn&#8217;t try out for a role in the latest superhero film from DC because at the time he was in a &#8220;dark place&#8221; and undergoing &#8220;life-saving therapy.&#8221;
During the 42-year-old actor&#8217;s recent appearance on &#8220;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kaJ-eB6fVxY">The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon</a>,&#8221; Levi said during this &#8220;super intensive&#8221; therapy he was encouraged by a casting exec to try out.
&#8220;I was in kind of a dark place in my life at that point,&#8221; the superhero star said. &#8220;And then fast-forward about a month and a half later, and I&#8217;m in this super intensive, life-saving therapy, and I learned how to love myself, really, for the first time in my life, and I have this whole breakthrough.&#8221;
The &#8220;Shazam! Fury of the Gods&#8221; star then turned to the audience and said &#8220;By the way, go love yourself. If you learn nothing else today, go love yourself, go love yourself, go love yourself, okay?&#8221;
He explained that even though he told his agents he was going to be &#8220;off grid&#8221; for a bit to work on himself, two in a half weeks into this therapy they told him about a supporting role in the movie &#8220;Shazam.&#8221;
WATCH:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kaJ-eB6fVxY
He said he decided to go cause he was feeling &#8220;good about himself&#8221; after two weeks into the therapy, ended up &#8220;doing one take&#8221; and sent in the audition tape.
&#8220;And in the course of basically one week, I ended up going from auditioning for this whole other role to them saying, &#8216;Hey, we think you&#8217;re our Shazam,'&#8221; Levi explained.
&#8220;They flew me to Los Angeles,&#8221; he added. &#8220;I had done all my therapy that I needed to do. I go to L.A. I audition and within one week I was Shazam.&#8221;
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&#8220;I just think it&#8217;s indicative of when we do the real work to heal ourselves, and help other people heal themselves, that&#8217;s where all the good stuff comes from,&#8221; the actor continued. &#8220;That&#8217;s where that blessing landed in my life.&#8221;
The &#8220;Shazam&#8221; sequel is the first superhero film to be released under the leadership of James Gunn and Peter Safran who recently took over as heads of DC studios.
Gunn recently hinted at what kind of movies/TV projects he and Safran have planned at the studio, as previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/james-gunn-teases-plans-for-upcoming-dc-movies-tv-projects">reported</a>.
&#8220;One of the things of the DCU is that it&#8217;s not just a story of heroes and villains,&#8221; Gunn explained. &#8220;Not every film and TV show is going to be about good guy versus bad guy, giant things from the sky comes and good guy wins. There are white hats, black hats, and grey hats.&#8221;
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/james-gunn-teases-plans-for-upcoming-dc-movies-tv-projects">James Gunn Teases Plans For Upcoming DC Movies/TV Projects</a>

Zachary Levi-2

‘Dark Place’: ‘Shazam’ Star Says He Almost Didn’t Try Out For Role Because He Was Undergoing ‘Life-Saving Therapy’

Batman

Celebrities

Wonder Woman

Incoming California Democratic Representative-elect Robert Garcia says he will be sworn in &#8220;on the U.S. Constitution&#8221; — along with a rare Superman comic book underneath.
Garcia&#8217;s choice of the 1939 first edition comes from being a longtime fan of comics, specifically of the Man of Steel.
&#8220;Will be proudly sworn-in to Congress on the US Constitution. Underneath the Constitution will be three items that mean a lot to me personally. A photo of my parents who I lost to Covid, my citizenship certificate, and an original Superman #1 from the Library Of Congress,&#8221; Garcia tweeted on Tuesday.
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Will be proudly sworn-in to Congress on the U.S. Constitution. Underneath the Constitution will be 3 items that mean a lot to me personally. A photo of my parents who I lost to covid, my citizenship certificate &amp; an original Superman #1 from the <a href="https://twitter.com/librarycongress?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@librarycongress</a>. 🇺🇸😊 <a href="https://t.co/YGW43OLsIp">pic.twitter.com/YGW43OLsIp</a>
&mdash; Robert Garcia (@RobertGarcia) <a href="https://twitter.com/RobertGarcia/status/1610396414353313793?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 3, 2023</a></blockquote>
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The first edition Superman comic is reportedly on loan from the Library of Congress. The library allows lawmakers to use historical works during swearing-in ceremonies.
Garcia, who is openly gay and the son of immigrants from Peru, has said he related to Superman as a child and has been a fan ever since. He praised DC Comics in 2021 when it announced an iteration of the superhero was bisexual.
&#8220;An immigrant, a sense of justice, and a secret identity. His son, Jon Kent is coming out in the comics. I’m proud of @DCComics &amp; @TomTaylorMade for giving young LGBTQ+ people a hero of their own,&#8221; he tweeted.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
I became a Superman fan as a kid because I related to him. An immigrant, a sense of justice, and a secret identity. His son, Jon Kent is coming out in the comics. I’m proud of <a href="https://twitter.com/DCComics?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DCComics</a> &amp; <a href="https://twitter.com/TomTaylorMade?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TomTaylorMade</a> for giving young LGBTQ+ people a hero of their own. <a href="https://t.co/Sd4n9W9471">https://t.co/Sd4n9W9471</a>
&mdash; Robert Garcia (@RobertGarcia) <a href="https://twitter.com/RobertGarcia/status/1447757965788794883?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 12, 2021</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;
Garcia also expressed his excitement over comic books in a November post when he first visited the Congressional members reading room at the Library of Congress.
&#8220;OK y&#8217;all I&#8217;m freaking out. This is the Congressional members reading room in the Library of Congress. I can pull any comic book from what is the largest public comic collection in the country and read them here. Let&#8217;s go!&#8221; he tweeted.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Ok y’all I’m freaking out. This is the Congressional members reading room in the Library of Congress. I can pull any comic book from what is the largest public comic collection in the country and read them here. Let’s go! <a href="https://t.co/SyIrCvHkfT">pic.twitter.com/SyIrCvHkfT</a>
&mdash; Robert Garcia (@RobertGarcia) <a href="https://twitter.com/RobertGarcia/status/1591980342273273858?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 14, 2022</a></blockquote>
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Garcia said he would also have a picture of his parents beneath the Constitution for his swearing-in. His mother and stepfather both died from COVID in 2020.
“She immigrated from Peru to the United States in search of the American Dream — and she found it,” Garcia <a href="https://twitter.com/RobertGarciaLB/status/1287806055024480256" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> following his mother&#8217;s death. “She loved to help people and lived a happy and joyous life. She will always be our guiding light and the center of our lives.”
The congressman-elect also revealed during an interview with Long Beach Press-Telegram that his comic book interest was shared with his mother.
“She was a little bit of a nerd, like me,” Garcia <a href="https://www.presstelegram.com/rich-archbold-long-beach-mayor-robert-garcia-grieves-for-his-mom-and-his-city" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. “She loved going to Comic-Con. She liked reading books about vampires and monsters. And she loved going to movies. We went to a lot of movies and especially liked scary ones.”
Garcia moved to California with his family from Peru when he was five. He later became a U.S. citizen before becoming the mayor of Long Beach.
Members of Congress are traditionally sworn in on a Bible. However, there is no requirement to do so. Garcia will be the first congressman to include a comic book in his ceremony.

Robert Garcia

Incoming Democrat To Be Sworn In On Rare Superman Comic Book

California

Congress

House Democrats

Director and new DC Studios co-head <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/james-gunn-addresses-wonder-woman-3-cancelation-rumors-without-confirming-anything/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">James Gunn</a> responded on Tuesday to backlash over some of the early decisions that he and fellow co-head Peter Safran had made — namely the decisions not to move ahead with the third installment in the &#8220;Wonder Woman&#8221; franchise and not to bring back actor <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/henry-cavill-will-not-return-to-superman-role-in-new-film-eyed-to-play-different-dc-character-report/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Henry Cavill</a> as Superman.
Both decisions — coupled with the news that Dwayne &#8220;The Rock&#8221; Johnson&#8217;s &#8220;Black Adam&#8221; would not have a continuing storyline in the DC Universe — raised eyebrows and <a href="https://deadline.com/2022/12/james-gunn-shoots-down-claim-gal-gadot-booted-dc-universe-wonder-woman-3-axing-1235203061/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">angered fans</a> alike, but <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/director-james-gunn-responds-to-calls-to-recast-chris-pratt-over-actors-public-christianity/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gunn</a> made it clear that he and Safran were prepared to face the consequences of their decisions.
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It&#39;s official, James Gunn is the Grinch of 2022. 😂 &#8211; No Wonder Woman 3 &#8211; No more Henry Cavill as Superman &#8211; and now THE ROCK just got Jabroni&#39;d <a href="https://t.co/OBKuqOCqbE">https://t.co/OBKuqOCqbE</a>
&mdash; TheresaRockFace (@TheresaRockFace) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheresaRockFace/status/1605596491078213634?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 21, 2022</a></blockquote>
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Gunn laid out his thought process in a lengthy Twitter thread, explaining that while he and Safran both understood that not all of the decisions they made would be popular, they intended to always move forward with what they believed was best for the studio and stayed true to the characters that had been around for decades.
&#8220;One of the things Peter &amp; I were aware of when we took the job as heads of DC Studios was a certain minority of people online that could be, well, uproarious &amp; unkind, to say the least,&#8221; Gunn began, noting that they had expected backlash and that they were prepared for it to be unpleasant.
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Our choices for the DCU are based upon what we believe is best for the story &amp; best for the DC characters who have been around for nearly 85 years. Perhaps these choices are great, perhaps not, but they are made with sincere hearts &amp; integrity &amp; always with the story in mind.
&mdash; James Gunn (@JamesGunn) <a href="https://twitter.com/JamesGunn/status/1604929009787146240?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 19, 2022</a></blockquote>
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He went on to explain that backlash, however unkind, would not deter them from doing what they believed was best when it came to honoring the characters&#8217; history and moving the stories forward. He also conceded that they were well aware of the possibility that they could make mistakes in that effort.
&#8220;Our choices for the DCU are based upon what we believe is best for the story &amp; best for the DC characters who have been around for nearly 85 years. Perhaps these choices are great, perhaps not, but they are made with sincere hearts &amp; integrity &amp; always with the story in mind,&#8221; he said.
Gunn went on to note that however prepared they were for complaints and social media uproar, that did not change the fact that it could be hurtful. &#8220;No one loves to be harassed or called names — but to be frank, we&#8217;ve been through significantly worse. Disrespectful outcry will never, ever affect our actions.&#8221;
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We were aware there would be a period of turbulence when we took this gig, &amp; we knew we would sometimes have to make difficult &amp; not-so-obvious choices, especially in the wake of the fractious nature of what came before us.
&mdash; James Gunn (@JamesGunn) <a href="https://twitter.com/JamesGunn/status/1604929012790239232?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 19, 2022</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;We were aware there would be a period of turbulence when we took this gig,&#8221; Gunn added, noting that some of the choices they were making might be &#8220;not-so-obvious&#8221; to the fans, at least at face value, and that they were prepared to move forward with them regardless.
Gunn&#8217;s overall assessment was that the backlash came with the territory — and in the grand scheme of things, was less important than making sure that DC Studios had a solid path forward.
&#8220;This means little to us in comparison to our jobs as artists &amp; custodians in helping to create a wide &amp; wonderful future for DC.,&#8221; he said.

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‘No One Loves To Be Harassed’: James Gunn Replies To Haters After Backlash Over ‘Wonder Woman’ Sequel, Henry Cavill Exit

James Gunn Replies To Haters After Backlash Over 'Wonder Woman' Sequel, Henry Cavill Exit

DC Studios boss James Gunn announced this week that he will not bring back Henry Cavill to play in his new &#8220;Superman&#8221; movie.
Gunn said that he and co-head Peter Safran had a new slate of movies to release that they would be sharing more information on after the start of the year, <a href="https://variety.com/2022/film/news/james-gunn-writing-superman-movie-henry-cavill-out-1235461889/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to Variety.
&#8220;Peter &amp; I have a DC slate ready to go, which we couldn’t be more over-the-moon about; we’ll be able to share some exciting information about our first projects at the beginning of the new year,&#8221; Gunn wrote on Twitter. He explained that the new movie would focus on Superman&#8217;s early life, &#8220;so the character will not be played by Henry Cavill.&#8221; But Gunn assured fans that he and Safran had spoken to Cavill and &#8220;talked about a number of exciting possibilities to work together in the future.&#8221;
Cavill responded in a statement posted to his Instagram account where he said that it was not easy hearing the news.
“I just had a meeting with James Gunn and Peter Safran, and it’s sad news, everyone,” the actor posted to Instagram on Wednesday. “I will, after all, not be returning as Superman. After being told by the studio to announce my return back in October, prior to their hire, this news isn’t the easiest, but that’s life. The changing of the guard is something that happens. I respect that.&#8221;
Cavill then wished Gunn and Safran luck on their new vision of the DC movie universe.
&#8220;For those who have been by my side through the years &#8230; we can mourn for a bit, but then we must remember &#8230; Superman is still around,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;Everything he stands for still exists, and the examples he sets for us are still there! My turn to wear the cape has passed, but what Superman stands for never will. It&#8217;s been a fun ride with you all, onwards and upwards.&#8221;
Sources told Variety that Cavill recently met with Gunn and Safran and that they are focused on finding another role for him in &#8220;the comic book universe.&#8221;
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/henry-cavill-caves-apologizes-metoo-comments-ashe-schow">Henry Cavill Caves, Apologizes For #MeToo Comments</a>

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