Although the future of the DC Extended Universe has been in question for some time now, fans were treated to a glimmer of seemingly good news this week when it was reported that Henry Cavill was in talks to reprise his role as Clark Kent/Superman in a new DC movie. Unfortunately, anyone celebrating his return may have been premature. A new report suggests that Cavill hasn’t even begun negotiations to slip back into the character’s iconic suit.
This update comes in the latest edition of The Hollywood Reporter’s Heat Vision Newsletter. THR describes the situation as “complicated,” and they claim that Superman hasn’t been written into any DC films currently in development. However, the report also indicates that WB is still having “exploratory talks” about how Cavill could re-enter the DCEU fold. With this, it’s safe to assume that his return isn’t completely off the table just yet.
The initial story announcing Cavill’s potential return to the franchise specified that any discussions between him and the studio would be for a cameo appearance in another hero’s standalone film. That was probably disappointing to anyone still holding out hope for a sequel to Man of Steel. Regardless, the news appeared to confirm that Warner Bros. and DC haven’t fully abandoned their plans for a shared cinematic universe, which is admittedly better than nothing.
Cavill last appeared as Superman in Justice League in 2017. Nearly a year later, it was reported that Cavill was stepping away from the role for good. But just last week, Cavill championed the impending release of the Snyder Cut of Justice League. He also hinted that he’ll somehow participate in its multimillion dollar completion.