Ever since Suicide Squad director could do with all this ripe intellectual property. The mood around social media and fansites has generally become more positive about Gunn’s attachment to the project as more information is released by the studio and the CEO himself, with a lot of vocal fans happy to have a creative mind prioritizing storytelling at the helm. And with Gunn’s track record and obvious ion, can you blame them?
Among all the positive feelings, however, there have been some shocking developments with regards to casting in Chapter 1 of the project. If you’ve not been following the news, or just want a quick overview of who’s out, and who we’re unsure about, then read ahead for our guide to all the stars confirmed to be out of James Gunn’s DCU.
Dwayne Johnson – not returning
After the critical and commercial failure of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s Black Adam, the former wrestler confirmed via a tweet that Gunn would not be moving forward with the character in Chapter 1 of the DCU, thus ending his involvement in the franchise for now.
However, as mentioned in the tweet, Johnson hasn’t ruled out working with Gunn in the future, stating that he and the director “have always rooted for each other to succeed.” Although Black Adam was definitely lacking in a lot of areas, there’s no doubt Johnson brings a certain wholesome star power to most of his roles that meshes perfectly with big-budget comic adaptations, so here’s to hoping we’ll see him back soon.
Henry Cavill – not returning
When it was announced at the tail-end of last year that Warhammer, of which he’s a massive fan.
Robert Pattinson – returning, but not in the DCU
Despite the box office success of Twilight heartthrob definitely isn’t in the running.
George Clooney – not returning
Although it’s been a while since he donned the famous mask, there were still rumors that The Flash, and that this person was in the running to become “the new permanent DCU Batman.”
However, now that The Flash trailers have been released to much fanfare, we can see that the legacy Batman was in fact…
Michael Keaton – cameo appearance confirmed
Although he’s now in his seventies, Flashpoint comics, which take place in an alternate universe where young Bruce was gunned down and his father Thomas became the brooding superhero. There are also rumors that Keaton will play the lead role in a legacy Batman series, which has left the door open to plenty of speculation as to who might play a younger Batman.
Ben Affleck – not returning as an actor
It’s one hundred percent confirmed that Oscar winner will have something to look forward to.
Gal Gadot – not returning
While many of the actors on this list aren’t returning because their role is being recast, first three years of Gunn’s universe. While there is speculation Gadot may retain her role as Diana Price, for now everything Wonder Woman-related is on the back burner.
Ezra Miller – no confirmation
Whether or not they’ll be reprising their role as The Flash in James Gunn’s DCU is probably the least of seriousness of all the allegations against them. Gunn and Safran have taken a careful approach to questions about whether or not Miller will be in the DCU, with Safran telling the The Hollywood Reporter:
“Ezra is completely committed to their recovery. We are fully ive of that journey they are on right now. When the time is right, when they are ready to have that discussion, we will all figure out what’s the best path forward. But right now, they are completely focused on their recovery. And in our conversation with them, in the last couple of months, it feels like they are making enormous progress.”
Gunn added:
“Actors, filmmakers that I work with are going to say things that I agree with, and things that I don’t agree with,” but “I can’t be changing my plans all the time because an actor says something that I don’t agree with.”
So, no news either way on the We Need to Talk About Kevin star.
Margot Robbie – no confirmation
Joker film, out in 2024.
Amy Adams – no confirmation
Even before James Gunn’s DCU was announced, Lois Lane. Since the sweeping changes, there hasn’t been much news on that front either, so while it isn’t confirmed we can hazard a fairly safe guess that we’ve seen the last of Adams in the Superman world. With that said, many of the major compliments about her performance stemmed from her chemistry with Henry Cavill, and with his axing from the universe, it was always likely Adams wouldn’t return.
Zachary Levi – no confirmation
Until recently, close relationship with Gunn. However, recent anti-vax comments posted on his social media have cast doubt on his inclusion in Chapter 1 of the rebooted franchise, and Gunn is yet to confirm if the character will even play a part in the new DCU.
Jason Momoa – will be returning, but maybe not as Aquaman
After earning rave reviews as Sundance, the star stated:
“I love [James] Gunn and so there’s gonna be some really cool things, what they’re doing with DC, and I definitely will be in more than just one. There’s room for me to play a couple different [roles]. I’ve seen other actors do it. Yeah. I want a shot. We have a special relationship… I wish I could say more. I’ll always be Aquaman, and there’s a lot of evolution for that. So I’m not going anywhere and it’s very exciting.
This lack of confirmation that he would be recast as Aquaman has led many fans to theorize Momoa will play Lobo, but Gunn has been equivocal about this prospect, saying: “…we won’t have an actor playing two different roles.”
One thing is for sure, though: Momoa and his rippling muscles will be gracing the screens in Gunn’s DCU universe.
Published: Feb 16, 2023 12:05 pm