On its 15th anniversary, Zack Snyder unveils rare first photo of Henry Cavill's Superman in old school suit: "Moments before he stepped into legend"

Zack Snyder has shared a rare early photo of Henry Cavill as Superman, taken a couple of years before the release of Man of Steel.

"15 years ago, on this day, I pressed the shutter and met Superman. The first photo I ever took of Henry Cavill – moments before he stepped into legend. Shot on my Nikon," the filmmaker wrote on an Instagram post, which you can see below.

The post was quickly followed by over a thousand comments, with fans praising Snyder's iteration of the DC character and asking Hollywood to #RestoreTheSnyderverse. "Absolute legend," wrote one user, with another one adding: "I have seen enough. Let's get the team together and shoot Justice League 2 and 3 with IMAX cameras."

Cavill played Superman in three of Snyder's movies, including 2013's Man of Steel, 2016's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and 2021's Zack Snyder's Justice League. He also appeared in a cameo in the Black Adam post-credits scene in 2022, teasing a return, but his Superman died along with most of the rest of the DCEU. James Gunn and Peter Safran took over DC Studios shortly afterward, casting David Corenswet in the role for Superman and the upcoming sequel Superman: Man of Tomorrow.

Since the new Superman movie came out last summer, opposing sides of the DC fandom have gone as far as to argue online over which movie is better, Man of Steel or Superman, and even debate who would win in a fight between the two versions of the iconic superhero. The jury is still out on that one.

Besides feeling nostalgic about the defunct DCEU, Snyder is working on his next movie, The Last Photograph, which will follow an ex-DEA operative as he searches for his missing, recently orphaned niece and nephew with the help of a war photographer. The filmmaker is reuniting with Rebel Moon stars Stuart Martin and Fra Fee and 300 screenwriter Kurt Johnstad for the new project.

As for the new DCU, the next stop is Supergirl, set to be released on June 26. For more, check out our list of all upcoming DC movies currently in the works.