As DC Studios is working on a new Superman reboot, more details have emerged from a Hollywood insider about why Henry Cavill is out of the franchise. December became a game-changing month for the DC Universe (which used to be referred to as the DCEU), with James Gunn and Peter Safran's plans for the franchise slowly beginning to come to light. The two studio heads are currently in charge of everything related to DCU television, movies, and animation. The duo was reportedly presenting their 10-year plan to Warner Bros. Discovery this week, which is expected to be partially announced publicly in 2023.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, an insider source has given more background on why Cavill's Superman is being cut from the franchise. Per the trade, the British star was a "pawn" in Dwayne Johnson's "failed attempt to control a piece of DC," as the Hollywood actor was the one to push for Cavill's Superman to be put in Black Adam. Neither Cavill, Johnson, nor their representatives have commented on the story yet. The same goes for DC Studios and the involved parties at Warner Bros. Discovery.
Henry Cavill's Superman Return & Abrupt Exit Explained
Prior to his return in Black Adam, Cavill was last seen playing Superman in 2017's Justice League, as well as the Snyder Cut, which came out in 2021 on HBO Max. After the controversial version that was released theatrically in 2017, Cavill's Superman was absent for years. Even though the Man of Steel showed up in Shazam!, the cameo was a headless appearance of the DC icon as Cavill wasn't available to film the scene. A similar situation happened in the Peacemaker season 1 finale, where a body double was used for Superman, who was seen floating in the shadows. However, in Black Adam's post-credit scene, Cavill's Superman arrived to face off with Johnson's antihero, setting up a future showdown between them.
The plan was to have Cavill's Superman back in the DCU on a full-time basis. Sometime this year, Cavill filmed a cameo scene for Ezra Miller's The Flash movie, but that footage is reportedly not going to be used in the final cut. Man of Steel 2 was put in early development before Gunn and Safran were hired as the leaders of DC Studios, which is why Cavill's abrupt exit came the way it did once they had started their roles. While Gunn and Cavill had a positive meeting, it ultimately led to the reveal that a new Superman movie is in the works that will focus on a younger version of Clark Kent.
As far as the rest of the DCU goes, recent reports are strongly suggesting that some kind of reboot will be happening in the next year or so, hence the new Superman movie. This also explains why Wonder Woman 3 is not moving forward and the lack of future Aquaman movies after Jason Momoa's 2023 sequel. Whether or not Gunn and Safran will give the current DCU any type of conclusion or simply end it after Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom remains to be seen. Hopefully, as 2022 closes out and 2023 starts, more concrete details will begin to emerge about the future of the DCU and the next Superman movie.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
