Bassem Youssef caused a stir on social media this week when he claimed he lost a role in James Gunn’s “Superman: Legacy” due to his vocal support of Palestine.
According to a source close to the production, the character was in the script, and Gunn talked to Youssef about… pic.twitter.com/mNyxkyYDoE
— Variety (@Variety) February 16, 2024
Insiders are refuting Bassem Youssef’s claim that he was fired from Superman: Legacy after he made comments supporting Palestine on Piers Morgan.
“According to a source close to the production, the character was in the script, and Gunn talked to Youssef about possibly playing the role, but a formal offer was never made and talks never went further, because the character was dropped from the script before the strikes started. The changes to the story were made prior to Hamas’ attack in Israel.”
James Gunn confirmed this, retweeting another article and saying it was accurate. Gunn also posted on threads, “There isn’t one word against another. Baseem and I talked and we’re good. I understand how he thought things might be (which he was clear about in his interview), and I told him the whole story.”
Deadline is reporting that the role was for Rumaan Harjadi, who in the comics was the dictator of Bialya. Grace Randolph also tweeted “I hear a certain #DC movie has switched its conflict from the Middle East to Eastern Europe…”
