Only a day after announcing actor Henry Cavill was released from his contract to the studio to appear as the Man of Steel in any future feature film, WB plays coy with possibility of a Superman return?
On Wednesday, or actually late on Tuesday, The Hollywood Reporter had announced that WB the studio holding the lease on the franchise film properties linked to the DC Comics universe had released actor Henry Cavill from any obligations he had to appear as Superman in any future installments of the hero’s one-off features or the expanded universe spin-offs, that included an appearance in the studio’s proposed big screen Supergirl which was green-lit and sped into pre-production over the summer.
The reports came as Cavill who has become a sought-after commodity in Hollywood recently appearing opposite Tom Cruise in the latest Mission: Impossible, was preparing for his next role in the highly anticipated Netflix Original Series The Witcher. The actor’s busy schedule had prevented him from shooting a “surprise” cameo in next summer’s Shazam! which stars Zachery Levy as The World’s Mightiest Mortal. regrettably, the studio was not able to make the schedules work and decidedly move forward.
While fans were arguably critical by the actor’s interpretation of Superman in Man of Steel and his subsequent appearances inside the DC Cinematic Universe, Cavill’s latest appearance as Superman in 2017’s blockbuster Justice League seemed to right the course of the much beloved iconic character. Rumors immediately began to circulate about the actor’s continuing participation in the franchises including co-starring in the aforementioned Supergirl and following-up with Man of Steel 2.
On social networking it looked like fans immediately took umbrage with the studio decision and Cavill himself posted a rather somber, though cryptic response, leading many to speculate that his fate may not be sealed, and that perhaps he might return to the cape, especially when WB decides to revisit Superman in a feature down the road. With the overall lukewarm perception that Justice League received in theaters, the one indeterminate stand-out was Cavill’s very hopeful portrayal of Superman.