How Henry Cavill's Man of Steel suit was 'Torn to Shreds' during DCU Superman auditions, explained

The upcoming Superman movie is set to reboot the DC universe. Under James Gunn's reliable hands, DCU will be leading in a fresh new direction. After taking over control of the universe, he decided to shake things up with a fresh set of ideas. So, it came with some changes that were not received too well by the audiences.

One of them was the recasting of Henry Cavill in the iconic role of the Kryptonian superhero. Cavill's loyal fans were upset about this recasting decision.

It doesn't come much as a surprise considering Cavill's successful stint as Clark Kent in Batman vs Superman, Justice League, and Man of Steel. Disappointing as it may be, the universe was getting a new person to play the part. So, Gunn and other DC executives began looking for a fresh face to play the caped hero.

During the audition process, the actors reportedly wore Henry Cavill's Man of Steel suit. One of these auditioners was Tom Brittney, known for his work in British television. While speaking about his process during a podcast, Brittney mentioned that the suit was accidentally 'torn to shreds'. He said,

“‘It takes about half an hour to put it (the Man of Steel suit) on and adjust it…And I think I accidentally broke it..’”

A Threads user took matters into their hands and asked Mr Gunn about it. Gunn confirmed it and revealed a few more details. Let's find out what he said.

What happened to Cavill's Superman suit from Man of Steel? James Gunn's answer explored

During a podcast, English actor Tom Brittney, who auditioned for the role of Clark Kent, spoke about his process. He revealed that he wore Henry Cavill's Man of Steel suit as a part of the process. It was accidentally 'torn to shreds'.

When asked about it online, director James Gunn cleared the air about this DCU-related chatter. Besides Brittney, David Corenswet (who is the new Superman) auditioned for the role. So, Gunn shared an extra bit of information about both their experiences of fitting in Cavill's iconic suit.

Here's what Gunn said about the suit-related incidents,

“Yes. Tom messed it up and then Corenswet came in and he was way too tall, so it just got torn to shreds."

Then, he also spoke about Tom Brittney, Gunn said,

"BTW, Tom is truly one of my favorite actors. Incredibly talented guy.”

James Gunn's Superman: Everything we know so far

David Corenswet in the new James Gunn movie (Image via YouTube/@DC)

James Gunn's DCU reboot includes a Creature Commandos, streaming on Max, besides the upcoming Superman movie. It will show American actor David Corenswet putting on the cape for the iconic central role.

Besides Corenswet, the new movie will star Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor, Nathan Fillion as Guy Gardner / Green Lantern, Skyler Gisondo as Jimmy Olsen, Isabela Merced as Hawkgirl and Edi Gathegi as Mister Terrific.

Gunn has written and directed Superman based on DCU characters. According to the latest news, it will be released in U.S. theaters on July 11, 2025.