DC Comics

Henry Cavill did a 180 on Wednesday night ... saying he's out as Superman in the film series ... just months after announcing he would be returning as Clark Kent.

The actor shared the shocking news to his 23 million Instagram followers after meeting with newly-minted DC Studios cochairmen James Gunn and Peter Safran, both of whom are producing the next installment of the "Man of Steel."

Cavill said ... "I will, after all, not be returning as Superman. After being told by the studio to announce my return back in October, prior to their hire, this news isn't the easiest, but that's life. The changing of the guard is something that happens. I respect that."

He added ... "Superman is still around. Everything he stands for still exists, and the examples he sets for us are still here! It's been a fun ride with you all, onwards and upwards."

Cavill played the role of Superman in three movies ... "Man of Steel" (2013), 'Batman v. Superman' (2016) and "Justice League" (2017). He also had a recent cameo as Superman in "Black Adam," starring Dwayne Johnson.

Iconic comic book writer Peter David is in a hospital, recovering from a series of extremely debilitating strokes ... TMZ has learned.

Kathleen David tells us ... Peter tried getting out of bed last week, but instead he slid off because he was unable to use his legs. Kathleen was able to get him standing and take him downstairs, but after he was unable to get off the couch for 5 hours, she called 911.

We're told paramedics took him to a hospital, noting he was gray when they arrived. Kathleen says she later learned Peter had suffered a mild cardiac event and a major stroke ... followed by a few smaller ones.

Kathleen says her husband -- who's written for Marvel and DC's biggest superheroes -- is still hospitalized and undergoing tests to determine the next steps.

A couple of positive signs ... she says he's able to speak, and is already complaining about still being laid up in a hospital.

She tells us the medical bills are stackin' up pretty high for Peter ... and says a friend has started a GoFundMe for anyone looking to help them out.

Kevin Conroy, known as the voice of animated Batman for decades, has died ... TMZ has learned.

Kevin passed away Thursday, according to his rep Gary Miereanu ... following a short battle with cancer.

The actor moved out to California in 1980, first getting cast in the soap opera "Another World" ... before working in theater and television for a number of years.

Many remember Kevin as the titular voice of Batman for decades, first playing the dark knight in "Batman: The Animated Series" from 1992 to 1995.

Since first breaking out as the comic book hero, Kevin's played the character on TV, in movies and even in video games countless times -- including "Batman Beyond," 2001's 'Justice League' series, "Batman: The Killing Joke" and every Batman 'Arkham' series video game.

He took home 7 awards over the years for his voice acting ... including Best Actor for his video game work in 2015.

Kevin wrote a story called "Finding Batman" as part of DC Comics' Pride anthology in 2022 ... going over his experiences in his life as a gay man.

Fellow voice actor Diane Pershing, known for playing villain Poison Ivy alongside Kevin, shared her pain following Kevin's passing ... writing, "He will be sorely missed not just by the cast of the series but by his legion of fans all over the world."

Kevin is survived by his husband Vaughn C. Williams, sister Trisha Conroy, and brother Tom Conroy.

He was 66.

Henry Cavill is stepping away from "The Witcher," and a new Geralt of Rivia has been tapped ... one Liam Hemsworth.

The announcement came down Saturday, and it's kinda shaking up TV land ... as HC has helmed the lead role for 3 seasons now, to much acclaim. Now, though, he says he's outta there and passing on the baton for round #4 -- and the timing makes total sense.

Henry writes, "My journey as Geralt of Rivia has been filled with both monsters and adventures, and alas, I will be laying down my medallion and my swords for Season 4. In my stead, the fantastic Mr Liam Hemsworth will be taking up the mantle of the White Wolf."

He goes on to wish Liam luck playing a character he says he adored. Liam, meanwhile, is embracing the new job ... saying, "Henry, I’ve been a fan of yours for years and was inspired by what you brought to this beloved character."

LH adds, "I may have some big boots to fill, but I’m truly excited to be stepping into The Witcher world."

The news is a big deal, but also predictable. Fact is, Henry is back for the DCEU as Superman -- thanks, in large part, to The Rock -- and there's at least one more movie he's gonna do as the Man of Steel, if not more. Seems HC wants to clear the deck for that.

Like we said, Henry has gotten rave reviews for his performance as Geralt -- with many viewing it as his post-Superman era and giving him kudos for leaving DC behind ... which, for a long time, didn't seem to want him back to reprise his iconic role.

The Rock's new movie features a cameo from Henry Cavill's Superman at the end -- which looked like the headless horseman before the real McCoy got hired. Also ... spoilers ahead!

Per THR ... the last-minute addition was actually something WB and the creatives behind "Black Adam" -- Dwayne's debut superhero flick -- had conceived even prior to getting HC onboard, which manifested in them shooting the post-credits scene with a stand-in.

That body double, however, was reportedly silhouetted and obscured in post -- to where they entirely hid his face, only showing part of a guy in Superman's costume -- because they hadn't struck a deal with Cavill yet ... even though the intention was to bring him back.

They reportedly shot the scene in a matter of minutes earlier this year and did test screenings of it -- with the headless Superman at first -- to which fans responded incredibly positively. That confirmed to producers ... they had to get Henry, one way or another.

The DP who helmed 'BA' responded to the great feedback ... "Wow, this is 100 percent going to work. Now they need to figure out if they can get the guy with the head to be there."

If you haven't heard by now ... Cavill is returning to the DCEU for at least one more 'Superman' movie (and perhaps more) after a Herculean lobbying effort by The Rock.

Reports say he moved mountains to broker a deal to get everyone's favorite MoS back into the picture, despite pushback from some studio heads ... namely, Walter Hamada, who was dead set on moving on from the Zack Snyder era, regardless of fans who voiced otherwise.

Now that WH is outta there, though, it seems the new WB -- operating in conjunction with Discovery -- is willing to try Cavill one more time. No pumpkin noggin fill-ins needed either!

Ezra Miller is finally addressing what many have believed were significant mental health issues ... this after months of erratic behavior and run-ins with the law.

The 'Flash' star apologized Monday for their bizarre antics and confirmed they're getting help for some significant problems.

Ezra says, “Having recently gone through a time of intense crisis, I now understand that I am suffering complex mental health issues and have begun ongoing treatment."

Ezra goes on, “I want to apologize to everyone that I have alarmed and upset with my past behavior. I am committed to doing the necessary work to get back to a healthy, safe and productive stage in my life.”

Ezra has had a mountain of legal troubles of late ... getting arrested several times in Hawaii and Vermont.

Ezra's latest brush with law enforcement came just last week when they were accused of burglarizing a Stamford, VT, home, from which they allegedly swiped several bottles of booze.

And, back in April 2020 ... Ezra was seen on a viral video CHOKING a woman at a bar in Reykjavik, Iceland ... Ezra was not charged for that incident. Ezra's also been accused of keeping an 18-year-old away from their own family, and bringing them around the country.

Ezra was busted in Hawaii back in March after getting into it with bar patrons, and then with cops during transport to jail.

For the past couple of months, Ezra's team of agents and close friends has been trying to get the actor back on track, but nothing seemed to work.

Warner Bros., the studio producing the $200 million 'Flash' movie scheduled for release next June, has reportedly been encouraging Ezra to get help.

Dwayne Johnson has comic nerds confused after suggesting it'd be wrong to include his DC character alongside another hero in the same movie ... without getting his own movie first.

The Rock revealed to Vanity Fair he did a little lobbying with WB to make sure 'Black Adam' would be its own standalone film before any potential blending with 'Shazam!' -- a separate character played by Zachary Levi, who Adam actually faces off with in the source material.

VF writes that Black Adam, played by Dwayne, was actually set to be in the first 'Shazam!' movie in 2019, as he was initially written into the script as the big bad opposite Levi.

The Rock says when he saw this, though, upon first being approached for the project ... he expressed his reservations -- recounting, "When the first draft of the movie came to us, it was a combination of Black Adam and Shazam: Two origin stories in one movie."

He adds, "Now that was the goal -- so it wasn’t a complete surprise. But when I read that, I just knew in my gut, 'We can’t make this movie like this. We would be doing Black Adam an incredible disservice.' It would’ve been fine for Shazam having two origin stories converge in one movie, but not good for Black Adam." Dwayne made some calls, and got his way.

DJ doesn't elaborate on why he thinks it'd be a disservice ... and that's where the DC fandom is kicking in. In their eyes, it makes complete sense to introduce Black Adam in a 'Shazam!' movie -- even from the get-go -- seeing how BA is literally a known nemesis.

That's not what the 'Shazam!' films have done thus far ... in both the OG/forthcoming sequel, there are other bad guys Shazam is fighting, although Black Adam has been teased. Eventually, they'll cross paths ... but critics think it's strange Dwayne insisted on having his outing to kickstart things. Frankly, a Carly Simon song is coming to mind for some over this.

The argument ... The Rock's ego might be showing by admitting he wanted the character to be bigger than WB had, perhaps, initially intended -- especially if he was going to play him.

In Dwayne's defense ... all he did was chirp up on what he thought would be best, and clearly Warner thought that was the right way to go -- seeing how they actually pivoted and did a whole 'Black Adam' flick like DJ suggested, which is coming out later this fall. And besides, it's all headed for a big mashup anyway down the line ... so who cares?

Henry Cavill was rumored to possibly be a presence at Comic-Con this weekend on behalf of Warner Bros. -- but its time came and went ... and there was no red cape in the sky.

A Deadline report suggested there were rumblings Cavill might actually be appearing this weekend down at the event to talk more "Superman" during the WB/DC panel, which just wrapped ... and no sign of HC anywhere (unlike in 2012, where he was front and center).

So, yeah ... the rumor and/or report was BS -- which is a bummer, because fans were juiced about the possibility of Henry being announced for more movies in the titular role.

It's not in the stars, though, it seems. This would've been a perfect opportunity to signal some sort of plan about what Warner -- now fused with Discovery -- is going to do with their biggest IP ... but it sounds like they're still unsure of where the brand is going. That, or they're sure they're done with Cavill. Of course, some have already seen that coming.

Instead of 'Superman' news ... WB trotted out new trailers for 'Shazam! 2' and 'Black Adam' -- with The Rock actually making allusions to the Man of Steel in a hypothetical match-up.

This year's Comic-Con is in full swing in San Diego -- and as always, swarms of people are going all out to dress as their favorite pop culture creations and mash-ups.

2022's convention kicked off Friday, and the looks are just as impressive as what we've seen in years past ... including a father-and-son duo dressed as Homelander and Billy Butcher from Amazon's "The Boys."

There's even a sick trio of Poseidon with a couple of mermaids -- check out the detail.

Fans of "Stranger Things" will be runnin' up that hill after seeing a life-sized Vecna cosplay roaming the halls ... using a pair of stilts for extra height.

Of course, Comic-Con wouldn't be complete without some character mash-up costumes ... just ask Darth Austin Powers and his pink stormtrooper babes.

Amber Heard's days in 'Aquaman 2' are numbered ... IF you believe one report claiming she's been axed, but her team says that's a false rumor born out of post-trial vitriol for Amber.

Reports have circulated over the last week -- not from traditional industry outlets, BTW -- alleging the actress has been nixed from the sequel, and not just that, but that her role is going to be recast with an unnamed actress, with reshoots scheduled to take place soon.

That's total BS, though, according to Amber's spokesperson ... who tells us, "The rumor mill continues as it has from Day One -- inaccurate, insensitive, and slightly insane."

As for Warner Bros -- the studio that would be making the call on Amber's status -- we've reached out, but haven't heard back yet.

Here's the reality ... Amber has no say in how much she's featured in the movie, or if she gets recast in it. The studio shot all her scenes as Mera nearly a year ago, and they paid her too -- $2 million, as we learned in court -- so contractually, they're done.

There were rumblings Amber's screen time had been cut down significantly -- the word was, as of one of the more recent screenings, she was in it for less than 10 minutes ... and DC chief Walter Hamada seemed to confirm that in his testimony, but stopped short of declaring a hard number.

While WB is, no doubt, monitoring all the fallout from the trial, it would be a pretty extreme move to recast her.

Although many fans have called for it, it would be costly and time-consuming ... and 'Aquaman 2' has already been delayed once.

Ezra Miller is NOT controlling 18-year-old Tokata Iron Eyes, at least according to Tokata ... who says she's sick of folks painting her as a victim, and not believing her side.

Tokata let out her frustrations in a video where she slams her parents and the media ... saying she's downright disappointed they're not taking her word that she's making her own decisions.

She says she doesn't have a phone by choice, and calls it "distressing that the narrative of the 'victim' in question is not being granted in trust".

Tokata adds "it's nobody's business, and no one is owed a story".

The tone of the video is interesting ... Tokata speaks at a very slow, deliberate pace, and some folks in the comments didn't seem to buy what she was saying.

TMZ broke the story ... her parents filed legal docs seeking a protective order for Tokata, claiming "Ezra uses violence, intimidation, threat of violence, fear, paranoia, delusions, and drugs" to control Tokata.

They're hoping a judge will see it their way, and force Ezra to stay away from their daughter.

Of course, we know Ezra has been arrested multiple times, including an incident with bar patrons in Hawaii. Tokata and Ezra have been spotted dancing at a club in Hawaii.

Amber Heard's participation in 'Aquaman 2' -- however minimal it may end up being -- had absolutely nothing to do with Johnny Depp ... so says the guy who heads up DC Films.

Walter Hamada -- WarnerMedia's head honcho for all things DC movies these days -- sat for a deposition that was played in court by Johnny's team Tuesday ... this as a rebuttal witness after AH's squad rested their case, and as closing arguments approach on Friday.

Check out his testimony ... he tells JD's attorney, Ben Chew, that whatever was going on in the outside world between Amber and Johnny these past few years had no bearing on Warner's decision to downplay her role as Mera -- nor did it affect how much they paid her.

As you know ... there's been much speculation and rumors that AH is seriously sidelined in the 'Aquqman' sequel, this after significant screen time in both the OG and 'Justice League.'

Amber's attorneys have trotted out witnesses who've suggested Amber lost not just a big part in the movie, but big money that should've come with it ... in the form of a renegotiation upon the success of its predecessor, which they say is SOP in the movie biz.

WH addressed that head-on -- saying that under his watch, Warner made clear they wanted to reign in all these pay raises -- which can be costly -- and hold people to option agreements in contracts they originally signed with them ... and AH got a taste of that, he says.

She made a mil for the first movie, and since WM exercised her option for the sequel without rejiggering the deal ... they only gave her $2 mil -- something Amber's attorneys have called a blatant sign her career's been damaged by this whole saga.

"The Flash" star Ezra Miller was aggressive with cops during their arrest in Hawaii, yelling for badge numbers and giving a strange reason why they record incidents.

In police body cam footage from Ezra's March arrest on the Big Island, you see cops ask the actor questions inside the bar where they allegedly became agitated with patrons.

One of Ezra's alleged victims tells cops Ezra attacked him, spitting in his face and going nuts ... and when cops question Ezra, they claim they got assaulted and started filming because, "I film myself when I get assaulted for NFT crypto art."

Ezra raises their voice as they demand names and badge numbers from the officers, but the police ignore them and go back to the alleged victim, who claims he was playing darts and minding his own business when Ezra came up and spit on him.

Once Ezra understands they're the one getting busted for disorderly conduct and harassment, they ask why and again repeat their claim that they were the one who was assaulted.

Ezra also tells police they were complying, but they tell them they weren't ... and when Ezra asks what they did wrong they tell them they're getting cuffed because they allegedly spit in someone's face.

Ezra's claims escalate ... they say their alleged attacker declared himself a Nazi and then they bring up Judaism.

George Pérez -- one of the most famous and prolific comic book artists of our time, with work in both DC and Marvel -- has died.

The famed penciller passed away Friday at his home, surrounded by friends and family -- this according to his official Facebook page, which announced the sad news. Perez was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer last year, to which some outlets are attributing his death.

The tribute reads, in part ... "Everyone knows George's legacy as a creator. His art, characters and stories will be revered for years to come. But, as towering as that legacy is, it pales in comparison to the legacy of the man George was. George's true legacy is his kindness. It's the love he had for bringing others joy - and I hope you all carry that with you always."

Perez is, perhaps, best known for his work in DC ... although he technically got his start with Marvel, contributing drawings to the 'Avengers' series and 'The Fantastic Four' in the '70s.

It wasn't long, though, that he transitioned to DC -- where he did some of his most iconic artwork to date ... including helping launch "The New Teen Titans" in '85 alongside writer Marv Wolfman. They added key characters to the squad that would later become widely known and beloved on Cartoon Network in the 2000s -- namely, Starfire, Cyborg and Raven.

The new comic became a smash hit, but Pérez wasn't done leaving his mark with DC -- in addition to 'TNTT,' he also helped draw what became a divisive comic book series entry ... "Crisis on Infinite Earths," for which he drew much of the main art in the mid-'80s.

'Crisis' was big because it kinda put an end to the whole concept of the multiverse -- which was running rampant at the time in comics -- and unified all the DC superheroes in world/universe/earth ... and killing A LOT of the main costumed crusaders along the way.

In fact, so many heroes got knocked off ... that DC eventually had to reboot everything altogether just to crank out new storylines with some fan faves still in the picture.

In any case, Pérez helped helm the comic book giant through some of its most formative years -- and his work will be long referenced and remembered. He was 67.

Open your home to "The Flash" star Ezra Miller, and next thing ya know there's total chaos and you're dodging flying chairs ... at least that's what their most recent alleged victim told a 911 operator.

During the 911 call, a woman claims Ezra hit her in the head with a chair and then fled the property on Hawaii's big island. She says she'd offered up her home to them, and insisted she'd been very nice to Ezra.

You can hear how distressed she was, urging cops to show up and find Ezra before they could escape.

As we reported, the 29-year actor was arrested for second-degree assault last month after officers responded to the incident at a private residence in Pāhoa. Cops say Ezra got annoyed after being asked to leave, and that's when he allegedly hurled the furniture. The woman ended up with a half-inch cut to her forehead.

Of course, this isn't Ezra's first run-in with the law, in Hawaii. They were arrested another time, in March, for disorderly conduct in a karaoke bar.

Weeks before that incident, they were physically blocked from getting into another bar.

Josh Brolin just made comic fanboys' brains explode -- he says he was almost set to play the Dark Knight once upon a time ... that is, until the director went with Ben Affleck instead.

The veteran actor -- who's already got a couple superhero/villain roles under his belt now as Thanos ('Avengers') and Cable ("Deadpool 2") -- made the revelation this week on MTV's "Happy Sad Confused" podcast ... when they asked him about losing the role of Batman.

Brolin confirmed ... yes, Zack Snyder had, in fact, approached him as he was ramping up for 'Batman v Superman' -- and it sounds like JB was onboard and fully willing to do it.

But, as he explains, it was Snyder who decided to go with BA in the end -- which is a bummer (for some fans) because Brolin would've been more true to the version of Batman depicted in the flick ... namely, the older version from "The Dark Knight Returns" (the comic).

This is in the weeds, but Snyder kinda mashed up storylines for his 2016 movie -- including the one where Batman fights Superman -- and decided to employ a younger Batsy, plus ditch much of that comic storyline, including the fact Superman was a government pawn.

You can tell Brolin was excited by the prospect of donning the cape and cowl ... and even shouts out George Clooney for his turn on the character, no matter how panned it was.

Here's the good news ... Brolin might actually get a second bite at the apple here -- assuming anyone at the newly merged Discovery-Warner is listening. Lots of changes are on the horizon ... including Discovery honchos reportedly wanting to overhaul the DCEU.

That entails revisiting and revitalizing staple characters (like Superman) and perhaps further down the line ... maybe Batman again too. Robert Pattinson seems to be in the driver's seat for now -- but if Discovery wants to take another swing at 'TDR,' Brolin might be their man.