Justice League Director Zack Snyder Shares First Photo of Henry Cavill as Superman, Taken 15 Years Ago

Director Zack Snyder has shared the archetypal photograph helium took of Henry Cavill arsenic Superman, snapped 15 years ago.

Snyder is presently documenting his clip spearheading the present defunct DC Extended Universe successful a bid of Instagram posts, the latest of which shows British histrion Cavill successful Christopher Reeve’s Superman suit. Cavill wore Reeve’s suit during surface tests for his relation successful 2013’s Man of Steel, which kickstarted Snyder’s DCEU.

“15 years ago, connected this day, I pressed the shutter and met Superman,” Snyder wrote successful a station accompanying the picture. “The archetypal photograph I ever took of Henry Cavill — moments earlier helium stepped into legend. Shot connected my Nikon.”

In caller weeks Snyder released 2 different aboriginal photos of Cavill successful Reeve’s suit, showing the look that helped unafraid the actor’s relation arsenic Superman. The first, below, was published alongside the comment: “Henry Cavill. The archetypal Superman suit. This photo. It was undeniable.”

The second, below, accompanied the pursuing from Snyder: “With the past representation I shared, and this 1 we showed WB everyone agreed: Henry Cavill was Superman. That’s wherever the travel began.”

Cavill went connected to reprise his relation arsenic Superman successful 2016’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, 2017’s Justice League (and the consequent Snyder Cut), and cameo successful 2022’s Black Adam. After James Gunn and Peter Safran assumed power of DC Studios and acceptable retired to make a rebooted DCU, Cavill announced connected societal media that helium would so instrumentality arsenic Superman, but had to locomotion that backmost aft it emerged Gunn wanted a antithetic histrion to play the iconic role.

"I similar Henry, I deliberation he’s a large guy," Gunn said successful 2023. "I deliberation he’s getting d**ked astir by a batch of people, including the erstwhile authorities astatine this company. But this Superman is not Henry, for a fig of reasons."

David Corenswet past came successful arsenic Superman and starred successful past year’s movie of the aforesaid name. Promoting that movie, Gunn recalled a treatment helium had with Cavill to archer him that helium wouldn’t instrumentality arsenic Superman. “It’s terrible,” Gunn said during Josh Horowitz’s Happy Sad Confused. “Believe it oregon not, the time we were dealing with trying to fig retired if we could instrumentality the occupation astatine DC Studios, […] the time the woody closed, each of a sudden, they were announcing that Henry was back. And I was like, ‘What is going on? We cognize what the program is. The program was to travel successful and bash Superman.’ It was truly unfair to him and a full bummer.”

Gunn explained this was owed to immoderate wrong the workplace trying to “force” their imaginativeness of the DCU, which, helium insisted, was “never portion of the equation.”

“That was truly unfortunate,” Gunn continued. “So Peter and I [thought] the close happening to bash was to beryllium down with [Cavill] and speech to him. And we sat down and we talked to him. He was an implicit gentleman, a large feline astir it. He said, ‘The lone happening I inquire is that I’m capable to uncover it myself arsenic opposed to it coming from you guys.'”

Gunn past said helium had talked to Cavill astir playing different relation successful the DCU, and didn’t judge it would beryllium excessively confusing for audiences. “I would emotion to enactment Henry successful something,” helium said.

Wesley is Director, News astatine IGN. Find him connected Twitter astatine @wyp100. You tin scope Wesley astatine [email protected] oregon confidentially astatine [email protected].