The King's Man director Matthew Vaughn says he'd still love to make a Man of Steel 2 with Henry Cavill. Vaughn is the energetic filmmaker behind films like Layer Cake with Daniel Craig, Neil Gaiman's Stardust with Charlie Cox, Kingsman: The Secret Service, Kingsman: The Golden Circle, X-Men: First Class, and Kick-Ass. The director is currently filming an adaptation of the spy novel Argylle, starring Henry Cavill, John Cena, and Bryce Dallas Howard.
Cavill played Clark Kent/Superman for director Zack Snyder's Man of Steel in 2013, effectively the kick-off film for the current DCEU at WB. Man of Steel was met with a lot of praise, but also some criticisms for its somewhat darker tone. Cavill followed that up with Snyder's sequel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, which pushed the character into even darker territory. The film was a financial success but critically panned, affecting the 3-part Justice League follow-up, which was relegated to one film only and went through its own set of issues until finally seeing the release of the full version with Zack Snyder's Justice League. Since that time, Cavill has been notably absent from any Superman projects at WB, although he hasn't officially turned in the cape either.
In an interview with The Wrap, Vaughn revealed that he was "desperate" to make a Superman movie at WB just prior to Man of Steel being greenlit and would still like to make one with Cavill, saying, "I still think there’s room for a new Superman film, but a proper Superman film. A colorful, fun Superman movie. Not a dark one.” The director praised Cavill's work on his latest film, Argylle, calling Cavill's work "unbelievable" and maintained that he believed that he could "go off and make a great Superman movie" with the actor. However, Vaughn said that he doesn't even know who runs DC at the moment or what their actual plans are for Cavill or the character.
Vaughn also shared some candid thoughts about Batman V Superman, saying that he felt it was a "mistake" to put the "Batman vibe into the Superman world" as they're "just not relatable," citing the contrast between something like Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight and Richard Donner's Superman, both of which have a very distinct style and tone for the characters. The director says that Superman "should be fun" and goes on to say that he felt Patty Jenkins' Wonder Woman worked so well because it was "basically remaking [Donner’s] Superman in a weird way." Ultimately, Vaughn is just a fan of the character, saying, "Yeah, I love Superman.”
Fans have been vocal about wanting to see Cavill's Superman in Man of Steel 2, yet WB has remained tight-lipped about his future as the character. It's unknown what exactly is holding them back from having the actor suit up again, as he's expressed his willingness to return multiple times. As there's always more to be told behind-the-scenes, the fact remains that Cavill is open to return, while WB continues down a path to reboot the character in one form or another, be it with the Ta-Nehisi Coates Black Superman project with JJ Abrams or Michael B. Jordan's Val Zod project. While there's plenty of room to explore other variations of the Man of Steel, it's a mistake to leave Cavill's cape blowing in the breeze when fans are teeming with excitement to see him take flight again, which would fit Vaughn's signature fun, fast, kinetic style just as well.
Source: The Wrap
