The DC Extended Universe is in a complicated state at the moment. Following the hiring of James Gunn and Peter Safran to lead the franchise forward, the shakeups have been many and massive. Most recently, the studio walked back its earlier commitment to bringing back Henry Cavill as Superman with Gunn confirming a new film focused on a younger Superman. With word that Jason Momoa may be leaving the role of Aquaman following the upcoming sequel Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, rumors have circulated that the entire DCEU would be recast to fit Gunn and Safran's vision going forward. However, Gunn took to Twitter earlier today to finally put that to bed, saying that they currently have no plans of doing such a thing."I keep seeing posts with this untrue theory. We're not recasting everyone except The Suicide Squad," Gunn responded after a user questioned the status of the DCEU's current actors. It's implied that any recasting will only be done for the sake of better fitting the stories Gunn and Safran hope to tell. That included Cavill who'll eventually be recast by a younger actor for Gunn's movie.Moreover, theories had it that only the projects that Gunn previously helmed would have their casts stay on while the rest would be overhauled to create a clean slate. This would mean keeping around Suicide Squad and Peacemaker stars while scrapping everyone else. He kept it vague enough to not rule out a total reboot, but it seems unlikely at this point that they'll start from scratch. In all reality, we'll have to wait until Gunn and Safran lay out their concrete plan for the future in order to see who's still on board.
Gunn and Safran are Still Committed to a Very Different DCEU
The theory that Gunn was looking to completely overhaul the DCEU roster had little base other than circumstances like Cavill and Momoa's apparent departure, but he and Safran have committed to a very different DCEU unfettered by what anyone thinks. Following a report about a number of prominent DC films getting the axe, key among them Man of Steel 2 and Wonder Woman 3, Gunn released a statement reaffirming that tough decisions would have to be made to rebuild the franchise in their image and that not everybody was going to be happy with the new direction. Before commenting on the status of DCEU actors, he also reaffirmed earlier today that the studio would not be swayed in any way by fan backlash as they look to reconstruct the franchise.
It's far from a painless transition, but there's still hope that the new regime can paint the DCEU in a better light. Already, there have been some exciting ideas thrown around. Gunn has previously stated that he's eager to bring Ben Affleck aboard to write and direct a project for the franchise, including, potentially, the new Superman film Gunn is working on.
Read Gunn's statement about the status of the DCEU's actors below.