James Gunn shuts down Superman casting rumor: ‘I don’t know who that is’

From the moment James Gunn confirmed that Henry Cavill’s time as Superman had come to an end and that DC Studios would be parting ways with Cavill, the internet hasn’t been able to stop talking about who should play the next Man of Steel.

While there are many critics of Cavill’s Superman, there are even more fans who consider him to be among the greatest to ever don the superhero’s iconic suit. His departure was one that left fans shocked but was one of necessity as Gunn and company look to launch a new interconnected DC universe.

Once it was confirmed Cavill would not be returning, the focus shifted to who might be on Gunn’s radar for his upcoming Superman: Legacy film. As the first movie in the new DC Studios slate, the project will set the tone for what’s to come from DC, which makes finding the perfect Superman a daunting task.

Rumors continue to swirl regarding who could play the role with many names being tossed around. It’s unclear who might play the character, but it seems there is one actor we can rule out — at least if James Gunn is to be believed.

James Gunn denies Grace Randolph Superman casting rumor

On March 29, Marvel and DC insider Grace Randolph released a report suggesting DC was “very close” to a Superman casting. While Randolph noted that an official announcement wouldn’t likely come for some time, she seemed to suggest the role was in “final talks.” This rumor quickly got fans talking, including one who tagged James Gunn directly to ask if there was any truth to the rumor.

Never one to back down from addressing or shutting down a rumor, Gunn quickly replied to the fan assuring them that the rumor was “not true.” According to Gunn, he hasn’t even had a conversation with any actors about the role of Superman and is still very much in the planning stage.

This is when things started to spiral. After Gunn shot down the report about DC being in final talks with an actor for the role of Superman, Randolph doubled down and did not back down from a fight with the new head of DC Studios.

Clearly annoyed by Gunn’s claim, Randolph decided to leak the name of the actor her sources suggested to be his top choice: Percy Jackson actor Logan Lerman.

Gunn being Gunn, he quickly shut down Randolph’s claim by insisting he wasn’t even aware of who Logan Lerman is. In Gunn’s words, “I don’t know who that is.” Ouch!

Now, in Gunn’s defense, he did later follow up on his initial remark in an effort to make it clear he never meant for the remark to be a diss of Lerman. Rather, he simply did not know the actor by name but does know of the actor. Still, he made it clear, he had never met with him and was never on his radar for the role of Superman.

Of course, there’s no telling whether Lerman was indeed among those in consideration for the role or if Randolph’s sources had it wrong. However, given how transparent Gunn has been in the past it seems likely we can rule Lerman out as a possible pick to play the Man of Steel next.

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