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Superman: James Gunn Refutes Bassem Youssef's "Legacy" Casting Claim

Superman: Legacy's James Gunn is refuting Bassem Youssef's claim that he was cut from the film over controversial Israel/Palestine comments.

By this point, we thought that we would be reporting on the official table read for writer/director James Gunn's Superman: Legacy. Instead, we have some casting controversy surrounding the 2025-premiering film. In a recent interview, comedian & television host Bassem Youssef claimed that his comments criticizing Israel and his pro-Palestinian stance resulted in him losing a role in the film. According to Youssef, the reversal of his appearance in the film was the result of comments he made during an October 2023 appearance on Piers Morgan: Uncensored. Not long after rumblings surrounding the interview began to grow, sources close to the production pushed back. Reportedly, Gunn did speak with Youssef about playing a character named Rumaan Harjavti – but the character would be dropped from the script by September, at least a month before the Morgan appearance. As a result, there was never a role to be offered to Youssef. As we began this article, Gunn took to Threads to confirm (sharing IGN's report) that the character was gone from the script before Youssef's interview.

"I was a little bit bitter about losing the role, and I was kind of very sad, like why, in the United States of America, you can talk about Joe Biden, and you can talk about Donald Trump, but you cannot criticize a foreign government? Which is kind of very sad," Youssef shared during the interview with Salon. "Because of that, I was cast in the movie, 'Superman,' and then they told me, 'We changed the script,' after this Piers Morgan interview. I want to assume good faith. I want to know… I want to believe that this is true. I was a little bit bitter, and I wanted to go; I was like, 'Oh, screw DC, screw Warner Bros.' But then I understand, I understand the emotional burden that those people have. I mean, those people have a connection with Israel."

Youssef continued, "I understand maybe the people who are in charge, that took the decision, looked at me and didn't want to have me. And maybe I understand. If I'm an Arab Muslim, I was the head of Warner Bros., I wouldn't like a pro-Zionist or a pro-Israel to be in my movie if he attacked my people. I understand. This is the thing that we need to dissect: when I attack Israel, I attack its policy, I'm not attacking Jewish people."

Superman: Legacy – James Gunn Makes the Announcement

Here's a look back at Gunn's tweet from March 2023 making the announcement that he would be writing and directing Superman: Legacy, followed by the full, heartfelt text of the message he shared while confirming what's been rumbling around social media since the previous week:

"Yes, I'm directing Superman: Legacy to be released on July 11, 2025. My brother Matt told me when he saw the release date he started to cry. I asked him why. He said, 'Dude, it's Dad's birthday.' I hadn't realized," Gunn wrote in the opening to his series of tweets announcing the news. "I lost my Dad almost three years ago. He was my best friend. He didn't understand me as a kid, but he supported my love of comics and my love of film, and I wouldn't be making this movie now without him. It has been a long road to this point. I was offered Superman years ago – I initially said no because I didn't have a way in that felt unique and fun and emotional that gave Superman the dignity he deserved. Then a bit less than a year ago, I saw a way in, in many ways centering around Superman's heritage – how both his aristocratic Kryptonian parents and his Kansas farmer parents inform who he is and the choices he makes."

DC Studios' Superman: Legacy stars David Corenswet (Hollywood) as Superman/Clark Kent and Rachel Brosnahan (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel) as Lois Lane. In addition, the Superman: Legacy cast includes Skyler Gisondo as Jimmy Olsen, Nicholas Hoult (The Great) as Lex Luthor,  Isabela Merced (Sicario: Day of the Soldado) as Hawkgirl, Edi Gathegi (X-Men: First Class) as Mister Terrific, Nathan Fillion (The Rookie) as Green Lantern Guy Gardner, Anthony Carrigan (Barry) as Metamorpho, Sara Sampaio as Eve Teschmacher, María Gabriela de Faría as Angela Spica/The Engineer, and Sean Gunn as Maxwell Lord. Composer John Murphy (28 Days Later, Sunshine, Kick-Ass, The Suicide Squad, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3) has been tapped to score the film.

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