New DC Studio heads James Gunn and Peter Safran met with Henry Cavill, who played Superman in several movies and most recently appeared in the post credit scene of Black Adam, and revealed he will not be in the new Superman movie currently in development.

Gunn has apparently written a Superman script that will focus on the young superhero which has yet to be cast. It will focus on the years posing as Daily Planet reporter Clark Kent and Gunn may also direct.

“I will, after all, not be returning as Superman,” Cavill wrote on his Instagram account. “After being told by the studio to announce my return back in October, prior to their [Gunn & Safran] hire, this news isn’t the easiest, but that’s life. The changing of the guard is something that happens. I respect that. James and Peter have a universe to build. I wish them and all involved with the new universe the best of luck, and the happiest of fortunes.”

The announcement comes after a number of changes at DC Studio’s following Gunn and Safran’s appointment as co-chairmen. Some of the changes are due to budget restrictions after DC’s parent company Warner Brothers merges with Discover, Inc., while others, like this one, are due to the Gunn/Safran vision for DC’s future film universe.

While I am happy to see DC films become more coherent (honestly, it’s about time!), I truly enjoyed Cavill as Superman. Gunn has left the door open for Cavill’s possible return though according to his Twitter post:

“Peter & I have a DC slate ready to go, which we couldn’t be more over-the-moon about; we’ll be able to share some exciting information about our first projects at the beginning of the new year. Among those on the slate is Superman. In the initial stages, our story will be focusing on an earlier part of Superman’s life, so the character will not be played by Henry Cavill. But we just had a great meeting with Henry and we’re big fans and we talked about a number of exciting possibilities to work together in the future.”

Other projects cancelled by DC in recent weeks includes the Patty Jenkins’ written Wonder Woman 3 as the script did not match the future vision of the DCU. Gunn has said he and Safran “are giving these characters and stories the time and attention they deserve,” with no new projects expected to be announced until early 2023.

Gunn previously confirmed that the shared universe’s continuity will not only connect across films and television but also in video games. There will be room for projects not connected to the great DCU such as standalones like Doom Patrol and Harley Quinn. However, the majority of DC projects will be part of Gunn and Safran’s 10-year plan for the DCU, which reportedly aims “to tell one great overarching story… across film, television gaming, live-action, and animation.”