Dwayne Johnson says Warner Bros. didn’t want Henry Cavill back as Superman

Dwayne Johnson has claimed Warner Bros. were “inexplicably and inexcusably” against bringing back Henry Cavill as Superman.

Cavill reprised his role of Superman in the post-credits scene of Black Adam, setting up the character’s return in future DC projects.

Speaking in a video shared on Twitter, Johnson outlined how he “fought hard” for Cavill’s return against the studio.

“At the end of the day the studio was not bringing Henry Cavill back, inexplicably and inexcusably,” Johnson said. “But we weren’t going to take no for an answer.”

The actor credits himself and Seven Bucks Productions co-founders Hiram and Dany Garcia for helping to convince Warner Bros. on the decision.

Sayin’ thank ya so much from my ol’ pick up truck for all the amazing #BlackAdam support and reactions
#1 movie on iTunes 🔥
We’ll remain in theaters as well throughout the holidays 🎅🏾⚡️
Also wanted to give ya some #Superman info 👊🏾
Happy 🦃🍿 pic.twitter.com/WyGa49J7Dr

— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) November 23, 2022

He added: “This has been years in the making regarding bringing Henry Cavill back and years of strategic conversations, and we weren’t going to take no for an answer.

“Also, something else to think about is, for us there was no viable logical way that you can attempt to build out the DC universe without the most powerful force and the greatest superhero of all time sitting on the sidelines. It’s impossible to do.

“You can Venn diagram business wise this whole thing 90 different times but it all comes back to, ‘Where’s Superman?’ You have to have Superman in the mix. So that’s why we fought hard to bring Superman back, Henry Cavill.

“There was no other Superman by the way to bring back. Henry Cavill is our generation’s Superman and in my opinion, the greatest Superman, and I mean that respectfully to the other actors, especially Christopher Reeve.”

Last month, James Gunn (The Suicide Squad) and Peter Safran were announced as co-chairmen and chief executive officers of DC Studios. The pair will oversee “the overall creative direction of the DC Universe across film, TV, and animation under a single banner”.

Shazam! Fury Of The Gods is the next film to be released from DC, which is scheduled for March 17, 2023.