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Superman: Legacy: Bassem Youssef Clarifies Casting Controversy (VIDEO)

Comedian/TV Host Bassem Youssef's video looked to clarify the Superman: Legacy casting controversy & discuss his call with James Gunn.

"So here is to set the record straight about this [Superman: Legacy] thing. The internet twists things, and people read headlines instead of listening to the interviews." That's how comedian & television host Bassem Youssef captioned a video message he posted on Twitter earlier today, seeking to clarify the controversy stemming from his claim in a recent interview that his public comments criticizing Israel and his pro-Palestinian stance during his October 2023 appearance on Piers Morgan: Uncensored cost him a role in DC Studios' James Gunn-written & directed Superman: Legacy. Sources close to the production responded that Gunn did speak with Youssef about playing a character named Rumaan Harjavti but that the character was dropped from the script by September – at least a month before the Morgan appearance. Gunn would confirm that reporting on social media, eventually sharing an update that he & Youssef had spoken and that "we're good."

After kicking off his message with nothing but praise for the writer/director, Youssef shares that in June 2023 (a day prior to the SAG-AFTRA strike), he got a chance to audition for the film. Shortly after the audition, Youssef reportedly received a call from his agent regarding setting up a Zoom call with Gunn. "I have a great call with James. He tells me he likes to interview actors to make sure that everybody has good chemistry on set. Everybody in the business knows that this is a great day. You do an audition – in one hour, you get the call. It's an amazing thing. Me and my agents celebrate; the universe is smiling for us," Youssef adds before digging deeper into the timeline of events.

"And then, months go by. On October 7th, I go on Piers Morgan's show [and] I do two interviews. And then after the interview, right after the strike ends, we get a call from the studio who said, 'Bassem is no longer with us because the script has been changed,'" he continues. "Now, you see where I can see from my point of view, the timing was bad; even if there was a script change, this looks very bad because a lot of people lost roles because of their political stance." When his comments from the Salon interview blew up, Youssef shared that he received a call from Gunn where the writer/director explained how he was never officially with the cast and that the Superman: Legacy script had changed before Yousef's comments in October. For his part, Youssef explained to Gunn how the whole thing could look seriously problematic from an outsider-looking-in perspective.

"It was just mishandled, and the timing was bad. But as I said in the interview, I don't want to believe there was no ill intention, and I think it was an honest oversight. And I hope it's true, and I hope there was nothing else but that. I haven't thought about it, and I don't like to complain or victimize myself. I am actually very grateful for the life that I have, to travel and to earn my living by making people laugh," Yousef added. Here's a look at his video message from earlier today:

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