IGN and James Gunn Dispute Claims by Egyptian-American Comedian Regarding Script Changes and His Role Being Cut.
Just when you thought the DC universe couldn’t get any crazier, here we are with another day, another disaster! Buckle up, folks, ’cause this controversy train is about to make a stop at the station of absurdity.
Meet Bassem Youssef, the Egyptian-American comedian & TV host. So, what’s the deal with Bassem? Well, he claims he was supposed to be in James Gunn’s Superman: Legacy, but then got the ol’ snip-snip treatment from the editing room floor.
Why, you ask? According to Bassem, it’s all about politics. He’s out here claiming that his outspoken views on the Gaza conflict rubbed some folks the wrong way, leading to him getting axed from the movie.
But hold your horses! James Gunn, the man behind DCU denies those claims. He’s out here refuting Bassem’s claims faster than Superman can fly around the world and turn back time.
So, what’s the truth? Who knows! But one thing’s for sure: this DC drama is in full swing yet again before even the first DCU project is off the starting line. Stay tuned, folks, ’cause you never know what’s gonna happen next in the wild world of superhero cinema!”
Bassem Youssef
In a subsequent interview following his conversation with Piers Morgan, Youssef expressed his belief, as stated in the video description, that his outspoken stance against the Israeli government and the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza may have led to him losing a role in the upcoming Superman: Legacy movie.
An interviewer mentions to Bassem Youssef: “You’ve been very outspoken on behalf of Palestinian humanity, and you lost a role in the new Superman movie and some other projects. What do you feel comfortable sharing about it?”
Youssef responds (bold my own emphasis):
I was a little bit bitter about losing the role, and I was kind of very sad. 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. And then, because of that… I was cast in the movie, Superman, and then they told me, “We changed the script.” After this Piers Morgan interview. And I want to assume good faith. I want to know, I want to believe that this is true. And I was a little bit bitter, and I wanted to go, I was like, “Oh, screw DC, screw Warner Brothers.”
But then I understand, I understand the emotional burden that those people have. I mean, those people have a connection with Israel. Yeah, I understand. For them, Israel is not a place, it’s not just a country, it is an emotional connection, because those people and their ancestors went through generational trauma that I understand.
So for them, the whole world, when they give up on them, they have a place, a strong place that can defend them. So I understand that connection. And 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 am Arab Muslim, I was the head of Warner Bros., I wouldn’t like a pro-Zionist or 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. I want to tell those people, “I’m not a danger to you.” Because that dream, that idea that you long for, and it’s important to have, the right-wing government in Israel has spoiled that dream. It has ruined it. And you should not feel obliged to continue supporting something that’s so heinous and hideous. If you look at the facts, I think Israel is the biggest threat to Jewish people all around the world.
James Gunn Backs Up “IGN”
GN wrote an article about the controversy where IGN says:
A source close to the production, however, disputes Youssef’s timeline, telling IGN that Youssef’s character was dropped from Superman: Legacy well before the Piers Morgan interview.
According to our source, writer/director James Gunn was indeed in talks with Youssef to play the character Rumaan Harjavti. The character was dropped entirely from the script, though, by at least September, before the Morgan interview. Therefore, the source says, Youssef was never offered the role to begin with, and the issue does indeed come down to script changes and the character being cut altogether.
After IGN’s report, James Gunn corroborated the claims made by IGN’s sources, stating that Youssef was never actually offered a role in Superman: Legacy
Superman: Legacy, written and directed by Gunn, is set for release on July 11, 2025, with filming slated to commence in March.
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