Apparently, former DC Films chairman and Justice League producer Geoff Johns has no problem believing in superpowered beings from outer space who can run so fast that they can make the Earth spin backward on its axis … but only if those superpowered spacelings are white. Among the revelations in Ray Fisher’s exposé in The Hollywood Reporter about alleged racism and mismanagement behind the scenes at Warner Bros. during Justice League reshoots was an anecdote about how Johns’s problematic management style extended beyond the 2017 film. According to multiple sources, the creators of the Syfy series Krypton “were passionate about doing some nontraditional casting,†and Regé-Jean Page auditioned for the role of Superman’s grandfather. But Johns, “who was overseeing the project, said Superman could not have a Black grandfather.†They also wanted to make superhero Adam Strange gay or bisexual, but “sources say Johns vetoed the idea.†Page, who would go on to become a breakout star of Netflix’s Bridgerton, tweeted in response to the article, writing that it “hurts no less now than it did back then. The clarifications almost hurt more tbh.â€
A spokesperson for Johns told THR that “Johns believed fans expected the character to look like a young Henry Cavill.†They ultimately cast English American actor Cameron Cuffe.