The ongoing conflict the Gaza Strip has resonated the world over, with Hollywood even feeling the effects with actors speaking out on both sides of it and studios rethinking casting decisions in turn. One of those rumored choices was the dropping of Bassem Youssef from 2025's Superman: Legacy, who claimed it was due to his views on the conflict during an interview with Piers Morgan in October 2023, though a new report backed up by director James Gunn says differently.

Youssef originally claimed in the interview that he had been dropped after voicing his support for Palestinians shortly after the October 7 attack that began the prolonged and destructive conflict in Gaza. However, it appears this may not have been the case as the character Youssef was in talks to play, Rumaan Harjavti, was reportedly dropped from the script in September and as a result, Youssef was never made an offer to appear in Superman: Legacy.

Gunn backed this report up on X by sharing a link to the report and simply stating “this is accurate.”

The original claims by Youssef weren't completely unfounded, though, as multiple high-profile projects underwent casting changes as a result of actors speaking about the crisis in Gaza.

Scream star Melissa Barrera found herself at the center of a similar situation to close out 2023 when she voiced her support for Palestine in November. She was subsequently fired from the planned Scream 7 as a result, though many of her co-stars were quick to voice their support for Barrera in the aftermath.

Her firing also appeared to cause a domino-effect that has since thrown the film's future into doubt. The biggest domino to fall after Barrera's firing proved to be Jenna Ortega exiting the film citing “scheduling conflicts” as a result, though some on social media questioned this as Ortega had been vocal in supporting her on-screen sister.

Superman: Legacy is scheduled to release in theaters on July 11, 2025.