In a recent video he shared on Twitter, Comedian and actor Bassem Youssef cleared the air about his involvement in the upcoming film ‘Superman: Legacy.’
Youssef sought to ‘set the record straight’ with the video, detailing his interactions with ‘Superman: Legacy’ director James Gunn. According to Youssef, this was all a misunderstanding, largely due to the timing of certain events.
After saying that he was a ‘huge fan of James Gunn with nothing but love and respect’ for him, the actor recalled his audition process, which took place shortly before the SAG-AFTRA strike in June 2023. As Youssef said in the video, here is what happened:
“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, and in one hour, you get the call. It’s an amazing thing. Me and my agents celebrate; the universe is smiling for us.
And then months go by. On October 7, I go on Piers Morgan’s show [and] I do two interviews. And then, after the interview, right after the strike ended, we got a call from the studio who said, ‘Bassem is no longer with us because the script has been changed.'”
He then blamed the timing for the misunderstanding, explaining:
“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. It was just mishandled, and the timing was bad.
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. 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.”
You can watch the video below.
So here is to set the record straight about this #SupermanLegacy thing . The internet twists things and people read headlines instead of listening to the interviews @JamesGunn @ChrisCuomo @BBCHARDtalk @DeanObeidallah https://t.co/dFhdLiCkot pic.twitter.com/GrSPh92kar
— Bassem Youssef (@Byoussef) February 17, 2024
James Gunn Said Youssef Was Off-Script Before His Gaza Comments
Youssef, initially rumored to play a supporting character believed to be Rumaan Harjavti in ‘Superman: Legacy,’ sparked speculation after suggesting his role was cut following pro-Palestine comments made during an interview:
“In the United States of America, 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.”
Responding to the controversy, Gunn later clarified that the decision to cut Youssef’s character from the script was made prior to Youssef’s Gaza comments due to the change to script adjustments.
In an effort to address the situation directly, Gunn and Youssef had a conversation, which Youssef described as a moment of mutual understanding. The comedian expressed his respect for Gunn and added that, despite the unfortunate timing, he harbors no ill feelings toward the filmmaker or the project.
‘Superman: Legacy‘ is set to hit theaters on July 11, 2025. Directed by Gunn, the film has a star-studded cast, including David Corenswet as Superman, Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, and Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor, among others.
