What’s that exiting the Warner Bros. studio lot? Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No it’s allegedly Henry Cavill being done with Superman.
Yes, that’s right according to The Hollywood Reporter the Mission Impossible star is set to hang up his cape and red Y-fronts.
According to THR, Warner Bros. wanted Cavill to cameo in Shazam, but talks ‘broke down’ due to the only thing more deadly to Superman than kryptonite, ‘scheduling conflicts’.
The Hollywood Reporter’s source said:
Superman is like James Bond, and after a certain run you have to look at new actors.
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.
Neither Warners nor Henry Cavill has confirmed the news but it’s alleged the studio is focusing its efforts on a Supergirl movie, which will reportedly tell her origin story.
If the rumours of Cavill leaving are true then it’s a sad end to his time in the iconic red cape.
It felt like, terrible CGI moustache aside, he’d hit his stride with Justice League and there were glimpses of a Man of Tomorrow who could have been. A Man of the Day After Tomorrow if you would.
Only a few months ago the British-born actor claimed he wanted to play Superman at least one more time and that they’d try and keep the character ‘lighter’ this time.
He told The LA Times:
There’s a wonderful opportunity to tell the Superman story. Now there is a fantastic chance to show Superman in his full colours and tell a very complex, character-driven movie that is based on story and have that wonderful sensation of hope and happiness.
A feel-good movie with lessons laced in there as well.
Only time will tell where this leaves the nascent DCEU but it’s undeniable that it complicates the continuity.
Warners are set to release Aquaman and Shazam, both of which have ties to their established universe, in the next six months while Wonder Woman 84 is currently filming.
The studio could, of course, recast the Man of Steel but with the recent rumoured loss of Ben Affleck as Batman, it’s undeniable that the franchise has taken a blow.
If I could editorialise for a second (and I can because I’m writing this), I wasn’t the biggest fan of Cavill’s three outings as Superman, hell I disliked Man of Steel so much I started a blog to talk about bad films which eventually led me to UNILAD.
But, if the rumours are true, this is still a shame. Cavill had a great Superman movie in him but was f*cked over by bad scripts and poor decisions.
Here’s hoping you can finally do Bond. Henry, you deserve it!
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More of a concept than a journalist, Tom Percival was forged in the bowels of Salford University from which he emerged grasping a Masters in journalism.
Since then his rise has been described by himself as ‘meteoric’ rising to the esteemed rank of Social Editor at UNILAD as well as working at the BBC, Manchester Evening News, and ITV.
He credits his success to three core techniques, name repetition, personality mirroring, and never breaking off a handshake.