Justice League: What Snyder Cut Reshoots Mean For Cavill's Superman Future

Justice League Snyder cut reshoots are confirmed for October with the involvement of both Henry Cavill and Ben Affleck, but what does this mean for Superman's future in the DCEU? Zack Snyder's version of Justice League is rapidly becoming everything those who campaigned for its release were praying it would be. The debut trailer promises Darkseid, more Knightmare material, and a generally darker tone compared to the lightened-up 2017 theatrical release, and Snyder's Justice League is now officially a full 4-hour marathon. But after Warner Bros. finally announced that the Snyder cut would be coming to HBO Max in 2021, fans were left wondering whether additional reshoots would prove necessary. In a move that will only add to already considerable Snyder cut hype, Henry Cavill and Ben Affleck are now confirmed to be shooting additional material next month.

In Affleck's case, this news doesn't come as a huge surprise. The actor has been announced as reprising his Caped Crusader role in the upcoming The Flash movie alongside Michael Keaton's 1989 Batman, so Affleck already had both feet firmly back in the DCEU. Henry Cavill's situation is far less clear-cut. After starring in Man of Steel, Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League, Cavill's DCEU future looked unclear, until reports emerged in 2018 claiming the actor was done playing Clark Kent. It subsequently transpired that Warner Bros. merely had no plans for the superhero. There was no dramatic scene where Cavill stormed out of Warner Bros. HQ, red cape angrily stuffed into his coat pocket. Superman's DCEU status was unclear until earlier this year, when reports suggested that Cavill was in negotiations for a cameo in another DCEU movie, but that there was still no interest in a Man of Steel 2. The actor's DCEU status was about as straightforward as a Lex Luthor masterplan.

With Cavill now reporting for duty on the Snyder cut, however, his DCEU situation has taken a significant step, but in which direction? Firstly, it's important to note that Cavill's Superman reshoots on the Snyder cut don't automatically constitute a fully-fledged return. From an early stage, Cavill has been a prominent supporter of releasing the Snyder's Justice League (why wouldn't he be after the mustache debacle?), so it's entirely possible that his reshoots are happening on an ad hoc basis, without necessarily having a contractual obligation to play Superman again. Having said that, it's also possible that the mystery project Cavill and Warner Bros. were reportedly negotiating back in May was the Snyder cut, as the official HBO Max announcement came in that same month. The Snyder cut could prove to be Henry Cavill's Superman swansong.

Although Cavill's participation in new Justice League material isn't any guarantee of his future in the DCEU, the move can still be interpreted as an encouraging sign. Over the past 2 years, Warner Bros. have shown little enthusiasm towards keeping Cavill's Superman as an active member of their franchise in the same way that Gal Gadot and Jason Momoa currently are. Seeing Cavill once again don the famous "S" is a positive indication that the actor may not be finished as Clark Kent just yet, even if the Snyder cut does exist outside of regular DCEU continuity. It would be a stretch to claim that Man of Steel 2 is on the cards, but Cavill's Snyder cut reshoots do perhaps grease the wheels for further appearances, potentially as part of The Flash's time-bending madness, or for a cameo in Shazam 2.

If there's one thing fans have learned about the DCEU's plans over the past year, it's that there are no real plans. At least not any that aren't subject to change. If a time-travelling Barry Allen had appeared back in January and revealed that, come September, the Snyder cut would be filming new scenes, and Ben Affleck would be making his big screen return as Batman alongside Michael Keaton, he would've been laughed at mercilessly and told to lay off the Speed Force. Nevertheless, that's the situation DC's movie universe currently finds itself in. Henry Cavill's Snyder cut Justice League reshoots are undoubtedly cause for optimism, but Warner Bros. could still just as easily announce Man of Steel 2 as cut ties with Cavill's Superman altogether.

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