Actor Tom Brittney, who plays Reverend Will Davenport in the ITV detective drama series Grantchester, disclosed recently that he auditioned for James Gunn’s Superman movie and might have torn the superhero suit originally worn by Henry Cavill. Notably, David Corenswet has been cast as Clark Kent / Superman in the DCU franchise, headed by Gunn and Peter Safran.
Tom Brittney on ripping Henry Cavill’s Superman suit during DCU audition
Brittney revealed during his appearance on the Hellish podcast that he was one of the actors who tried out for the Superman movie and got the chance to audition in a Superman suit previously worn by Cavill. He spoke in detail about the experience and expressed his fear that he might have torn it.
“It was actually Henry Cavill’s Superman suit – it was his actual suit.” the Greyhound actor recalled. Apparently, he was surprised to find that the suit was a bit tight for him. Brittney, who is an inch taller than Cavill, elaborated, “It takes about half an hour to get into it – to get sewn into it. And yeah, I think I might have accidentally ripped it.” He added humorously, “I was more muscular than Henry Cavill, that’s the only reason.”
It’s not particularly a rare thing for an actor to audition or screen test in the costume from existing projects. Even Cavill did the screen test for the DCEU Superman in the suit that Christopher Reeve during his outing as the Man of Steel. Other examples include Cillian Murphy, who screen-tested for Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight movies in Val Kilmer’s Batman Forever suit.
Superman is slated to premiere in U.S. theaters on July 11, 2025, and will be the first cinematic entry in the DCU. Gunn helmed the movie and penned its screenplay based on DC characters. Besides Corenswet, the cast includes Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, Isabela Merced as Hawkgirl, Edi Gathegi as Michael Holt / Mister Terrific, Nathan Fillion as Guy Gardner / Green Lantern, Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor, and Skyler Gisondo as Jimmy Olsen.
