Update: Henry Cavill responds to Superman exit reports.
Warner Bros. Pictures releases an official statement regarding reports that Henry Cavill will no longer be playing Superman in their unofficially titled DC Extended Universe. First making his debut as the iconic DC superhero in Zack Snyder's Man of Steel in 2013, Cavill went on to reprise his role as Big Blue in Snyder's Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice in 2016 - in which he starred alongside Ben Affleck as Batman and Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman - and then again in 2017's Justice League, alongside the rest of the World's Finest Heroes.
While the overarching story and direction of the character shifted many times over the past few years, leading to a muddied future for the shared universe, fans always held out hope for Man of Steel 2. Plans of a direct sequel to the 2013 film have been rumored for several years now, but nothing official seemed to come out of the smoke. Things started to spiral once word got out that Cavill would be playing the title character in Netflix's Witcher series. Coupling that news with the fact that WB is pursuing a Supergirl movie, reports that Cavill had exited as Superman started to make sense - but it seems that those reports aren't entirely true.
Related: WB Considering Michael B. Jordan As Henry Cavill's Superman Replacement
In an official statement (below, via THR), WB says no plans have been made about future Superman films, thus indicating that Henry Cavill is still on board as the eponymous superhero. This news comes shortly after Cavill's agent claimed on social media that the actor wasn't leaving the role. It's possible that all this ruckus has been tactics by both parties in negotiating a renewal of Cavill's Superman contract.
"While no decisions have been made regarding any upcoming Superman films, we've always had great respect for and a great relationship with Henry Cavill, and that remains unchanged."
It's been reported that WB wanted Cavill to cameo in David F. Sandberg's Shazam! movie coming out in the spring, but talks between the actor's representatives and the studio seemed to have broken down, thus leading to reports that Cavill would be officially exiting the role. This news comes on the heels of Cavill's appearance as the Last Son of Krypton in last year's Justice League - but that film was meant to act as a quasi-reboot for the character to lead the DCEU in a new direction, one that would stray away from Snyder's original vision.
Considering all that happened with the Justice League reshoots, it would've been all for naught if Cavill wasn't around to shepherd a new version of Superman. While there is currently no official word on the status of Cavill's DCEU future, he is still contracted to play Superman one more time, just like Affleck is contracted to play Batman one more time.
Next: There Won't Be A New Superman Solo Movie For Several Years
Source: Warner Bros (via THR)
