Henry Cavill Out as Superman, and Warner Bros. May Already Have His Replacement
Henry Cavill is reportedly out as Superman in the DC Cinematic Universe.
Warner Bros. has parted ways with the 35-year-old British actor, after contract talks broke down that would have seen him make a cameo appearance in next year’s Shazam! movie, starring Zachary Levi.
Cavill has played the Man of Steel in three films, most recently in 2017’s Justice League. His departure comes as Warner is reportedly cutting ties with Ben Affleck playing Batman as well.
It seems the contract talk impasse was part of a larger problem at Warner Bros., who appears to be ready to go in a different direction after the Justice League characters failed to hit with audiences, with the exception of Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman. That new direction apparently did not include Cavill.
Some online reports say Warners is looking to reboot Superman with Michael B. Jordan, the star of Creed and Marvel’s Black Panther. That may be just wild speculation, however.
The Hollywood Reporter, who broke the story, provides more details.
The studio has shifted its focus to a Supergirl movie, which will be an origin story featuring a teen superheroine. This effectively removes an actor of Cavill’s age from the storyline’s equation given that Superman, aka Kal-El, would be an infant, according to DC lore.
Furthermore, Warners isn’t likely to make a solo Superman film for at least several years, according to another source. “Superman is like James Bond, and after a certain run you have to look at new actors,” says a studio source. As such, Cavill will join Ben Affleck, who isn’t expected to reprise his role for director Matt Reeves’ forthcoming Batman stand-alone film, as a hero on the way out.
Warner Bros. is so far denying that there has been a split with Cavill.
“We have a great relationship and great respect for Henry Cavill that continues to remain unchanged. Additionally we have made no current decisions regarding any upcoming Superman films,” read a statement from a Warner Bros. spokesperson after the initial publication of this story.
A Warners source says the Shazam! deal fell apart because of scheduling conflicts. And that is backed up by the fact that Cavill recently signed on to star in the Netflix series The Witcher. However, another source says that the Witcher commitment came after the Warners impasse, suggesting a change in Warners’ strategy.
“There’s a recognition that some parts of the previous movies didn’t work,” says the studio insider. Another source says Warners is trying to hit a “reset” button with the DC universe, steering its ship slowly into another direction.
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