Henry Cavill again out as DCEU's Superman (formerly "exits" then "returns")

[TurtleTitan97]

The DC cinematic universe appears to be losing its Man of Steel.
Henry Cavill, who has played Superman in three films, is parting ways with Warner Bros., sources tell The Hollywood Reporter. Though neither side is confirming, the British actor, who first donned the blue suit for 2013's Man of Steel, and then starred in 2016's Batman v. Superman and last year's Justice League, is said to be hanging up the red cape.


Warners had been trying to enlist Cavill, who most recently co-starred in Mission: Impossible — Fallout, for a Superman cameo in Shazam!, which stars Zachary Levi and will bow April 5. But contract talks between Cavill's WME reps and Warners broke down, and the door is now closing on other potential Superman appearances.
That's because the studio has shifted its focus to a Supergirl movie, which will be an origin story featuring a teen superheroine. This effectively removes an actor of Cavill's age from the storyline's equation given that Superman, aka Kal-El, would be an infant, according to DC lore.
Furthermore, Warners isn't likely to make a solo Superman film for at least several years, according to another source. "Superman is like James Bond, and after a certain run you have to look at new actors," says a studio source. As such, Cavill will join Ben Affleck, who isn't expected to reprise his role for director Matt Reeves' forthcoming Batman stand-alone film, as a hero on the way out.
A Warners source says the Shazam! deal fell apart because of scheduling conflicts. And that is backed up by the fact that Cavill recently signed on to star in the Netflix series The Witcher. However, another source says that the Witcher commitment came after the Warners impasse, suggesting a change in Warners' strategy.
"There's a recognition that some parts of the previous movies didn't work," says the studio insider. Another source says Warners is trying to hit a "reset" button with the DC universe, steering its ship slowly into another direction.
While Affleck and Cavill are segueing out, others who were seen together onscreen in Justice League are carrying forward. Gal Gadot is returning for Wonder Woman 1984, to hit theaters in November 2019. Jason Momoa headlines a solo Aquaman movie this December. And Ezra Miller remains on board to star in a Flash movie, which is due to shoot in early 2019.
Warner Bros. CEO Kevin Tsujihara and chairman of Warner Bros. Pictures Group Toby Emmerich are looking to reinvigorate the studio's DC Universe, which is still playing second fiddle to the Marvel Universe in terms of box office and critical acclaim. Just six years ago, when The Dark Knight Rises closed out the Christopher Nolan trilogy, DC was the superhero team with the mojo. But so far, only Patty Jenkins’ Wonder Woman spinoff has lived up to the promise of the franchise.
What Warners hasn't done is wiped the slate clean in one fell swoop, something that is nigh impossible to do given the years of planning that goes into these films. When asked about the studio Sept. 6 at an investor conference, new WarnerMedia CEO John Stankey said, "Hats off to Kevin and Toby and their team." But he also took a shot at DC. "Some of our franchises, in particular at DC, we all think we can do better."
A version of this story appears in the Sept. 12 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/he...ake-up-1142306

[oldmanwinters]

Justice League: DOOMED!

[Papenbrook]

Now, if only Benny Boy decides to hang his worn-out bat cape ...

[Vegita-San]

'we can do better'

i.e. marvel is still kicking our 'dark and gritty and depressing' butt.

[Coola Yagami]

Just end it already. You tried, you failed. Let WW2 end the franchise.

[ZariusTwo]

Funny Henry bolted before we've heard anything concrete on Ben staying or leaving for the longest time

Mind you, what the hell has Ben worked on since JL? Henry's profile's skyrocketed with Fallout and Witcher.

[CylonsKlingonsDaleksOhMy]

Damn, that's a terrible decision. WB should've coughed up more for his salary.

The DCEU's hits just keep coming...

[newfan]

I liked Cavil, though I didn't think there would be much more to come with Superman for the time being. Unless there was a planned 2nd Justice League movie?

[Autbot_Benz]

Henry's Manager says otherwise


Dany Garcia
‏Verified account @DanyGarciaCo

Be peaceful, the cape is still in his closet. @wbpictures has been and continues to be our partners as they evolve the DC Universe. Anticipate a WB statement later today.

[CylonsKlingonsDaleksOhMy]

Originally Posted by Autbot_Benz

Henry's Manager says otherwise


Dany Garcia
‏Verified account @DanyGarciaCo

Be peaceful, the cape is still in his closet. @wbpictures has been and continues to be our partners as they evolve the DC Universe. Anticipate a WB statement later today.

Whew. Hopefully.

[ZariusTwo]

They're trying to control the narrative. Won't mean anything if there is'nt any fast track to developing a new Superman movie.

Affleck's went through the exact same thing

[CylonsKlingonsDaleksOhMy]

Originally Posted by ZariusTwo

They're trying to control the narrative. Won't mean anything if there is'nt any fast track to developing a new Superman movie.

Affleck's went through the exact same thing

Basically, if you're not Margot Robbie or Gal Gadot, WB/DC could care less about keeping you happy.

[Andrew NDB]

Yeah, FAKE news.

Basically, all WB had to offer Henry was a stupid cameo in their stupid Shazam! movie. They're still saying a new Superman movie is "years away," so why exactly would he commit to... nothing, basically?

If they pull their heads out of their asses and offer him something meaningful I'm sure he'll do it, and I'm sure they can work it around this stupid "Witcher" thing.

[Autbot_Benz]

if the WB press release says Cavill is no longer superman. I think I am done with this DCEU Cluster****. As a DC Fan this is embarrassing.

[Autbot_Benz]

Statement from Warner Bros.: "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"

[TurtleTitan97]

Originally Posted by Autbot_Benz

Statement from Warner Bros.: "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"

In other words, "We're too lazy when it comes to making Superman films, so we're just gonna focus on making a ton of Batman and Harley Quinn spin offs".

[AquaParade]

Hard to blame them. They put out a fantastic film in Man of Steel and barely anyone seemed to appreciate it.

I understand those who say it doesn't represent certain elements that attract them to the Superman mythos, but I feel like there is a lot to appreciate, from the musical score to the breathtaking action sequences. Superman wasn't exactly the beacon of hope and optimism you get in something like Grant Morrison's All Star Superman, yet they worked hard to develop him and that goes a long way for me.

At the end of the day, we've got new management taking over the DC films and they're likely saddled with a lot of baggage from the previous few years. It must be quite challenging deciding what to reset and what to carry on with. I can take or leave Henry Cavill as Superman. I think he does a very good job, but I don't think he's irreplaceable in the role. I'm more upset about Ben Affleck leaving Batman. Not so much as an actor, but as a director.

[Andrew NDB]

"We love Cavill! We love him and our relationship with him so much, we're not planning any new Superman movies for years to come! We hope to continue to work on him after a few years... maybe."

What? They're not even saying anything at all, this is nothing about nothing. Morons.

[newfan]

Yeah I thought the statement didn't confirm anything either, other than they like Cavil but they haven't made decisions regarding superman movies so....

[AquaParade]

I do my best to stay out of conspiracy-mode, but I have to wonder if this is someone from WB or Cavill's camp leaking this info out to gauge the reaction or test the waters with their contract.

It just seems that social media and fan-response continues to become more of a factor in how many of these companies make decisions everyday.