James Gunn Denies Bassem Youssef Was Cut From ‘Superman: Legacy’ Over Piers Morgan Interview
Bassem Youssef has been a voice of clarity amidst Israel’s continued bombing of Gaza. But news came to light that his activism may have cost him a role in Superman: Legacy. James Gunn has now disputed this claim.
Gunn originally had the character Rumaan Harjadi as part of Superman: Legacy. Youssef did a taped audition before the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, and then, when the strikes ended, Youssef was not offered the role. The comedian believed that it was due to his interview on Piers Morgan: Uncensored in October, where he voiced his opinion on the bombing of Gaza.
Youssef talked about the potential casting in an interview with Salon and said that he believed that he lost the casting due to his comments. “In the United States of America,” Youssef said, “you can talk about Joe Biden, you can talk about Donald Trump, but you cannot criticize a foreign government which is kind of, like, very sad, you know? 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.”
Gunn has since claimed that a report that the character was dropped back in September—prior to the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel that led to the bombing, and prior to Youssef’s interview with Morgan—is accurate. The report also states that Youssef was indeed in talks to play the role, but no official offer was given before the character was omitted from the script.
It’s unlikely we’ll ever have proof, one way or the other, about what happened, but it’s easy to see why Youssef would think he was let go over his comments, given the state of the world and how those who are pro-Palestine have lost jobs over it (like Melissa Barrera being let go from the Scream franchise).
Some have noted that Milly Alcock, who is our Supergirl in the James Gunn DC universe, is also vocal about her support of Palestine, though that doesn’t necessarily mean that the studio would view both situations the same way or treat both actors the same.
(featured image: Rich Fury/Getty Images)
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