As everyone was enjoying their Christmas with family and food, Zack Snyder decided to play Santa and show off his former Superman wearing the classic Christopher Reeve suit.

“Henry Cavill. This photo. It was undeniable,” Snyder wrote on Thursday. The photo is exactly what it promises, showing the Man of Steel actor in the midday, standing in the middle of a field with the clouds behind him and the sun peeking out. He also shared a second, more close-up photo, revealing he used both to sell Warner Bros. on casting Cavill for the role. “Everyone agreed: Henry Cavill was Superman. That’s where the journey began.”

© Zack Snyder/Instagram

© Zack Snyder/Instagram

Snyder’s previously recalled the experience of seeing Cavill in that classic suit before: in 2016, he told DuJour that everyone went “Dang, you’re Superman!” the day Cavill walked out of the trailer with the suit on. And in a 2011 interview with Entertainment Weekly, the director said Cavill was the only actor who put it on during auditions that didn’t look silly wearing it, highlighting his “crazy-calm confidence” that made Snyder cast him.

It’s been an interesting year getting a behind-the-scenes look at Superman actors. Back in February, we saw Cavill’s audition to play James Bond back when MGM was on the hunt for a new Bond for Casino Royale. Then August came around, and we got a look at David Corenswet’s tape to play the current Supes in James Gunn’s DC movieverse.

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