Henry Cavill will no longer play Superman but could return to the DC universe as another character

• Henry Cavill will not return to play Superman, the actor said in a detailed statement on Instagram.

• DC Studios co-head James Gunn and co-president Peter Safran broke the news to Cavill recently.

• Cavill may yet return to the DC universe as another character, Gunn tweeted on Wednesday.

Henry Cavill will not return to play Superman, the actor confirmed in a detailed statement posted to Instagram on Wednesday.

Cavill met recently with DC Studios co-head James Gunn, who is writing a new Superman film, as well as co-president Peter Safran, who both broke the news to the actor.

"It's sad news, everyone. I will, after all, not be returning as Superman," Cavill wrote in the Instagram post. "After being told by the studio to announce my return back in October, prior to their hire, this news isn't the easiest, but that's life. 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."

Gunn has been working on a new Superman story for "some time" which would focus on the character's life as a cub reporter in Metropolis, according to Variety.

"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," Gunn tweeted on Wednesday. "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."

The Superman news arrives after nearly a week of reports regarding the status of "Wonder Woman 3." After Warner Bros, leadership passed on director Patty Jenkins' treatment for the film, reports surfaced that Jenkins has somehow killed or walked away from the project — accusations which the director denied on Tuesday through a detailed statement on Twitter.

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