Warner Bros. announces Man Of Steel Henry Cavill has left the franchise and leaving the their DC fortress of films in solitude once again! What fate befalls the cinematic universe that the studio just can’t get right?
Look! Up in the sky! That barometric shift in the air isn’t the approaching hurricane that’s about the hit the Northeast it’s the wind being taken out of hundreds of fans’ sails upon hearing the news the Warner Bros. has given Henry Cavill the pink slip and asked him to turn in his cape and curl. The Man of Steel actor responsible for launching the expanded DC cinematic universe headlined director Zack Snyder’s 2013 feature film, which brought the most iconic comic book character back to the blockbuster stage.
Though Snyder’s film was met with mixed emotions, Cavill interpretation of Superman was regarded as one of the best and made the character with a more than 80 year history much more contemporary. Cavill appeared next as Superman in 2016’s Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice which also introduced Ben Affleck as the notorious Dark Knight Detective, Batman and Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman, finally marking the Amazing Amazon’s big-screen introduction. The trinity of characters and actors once again reunited for the team epic Justice League.
The decision came as Cavill entered into a full-time role on Neflix’s The Witcher currently in production, and an apparent scheduling conflict that led to his surprise cameo in the upcoming Shazam! getting left on the cutting room floor. The actor had also been linked to the big-screen Supergirl project that is currently in pre-production, and a tentative sequel to his own Man of Steel that would featured once again in a stand-alone Superman story. According to early reports the studio is proceeding with Supergirl while retooling it’s next steps regarding “Superman”.
DC’s Kryptonite!
The publishing may have met its match when it comes to the competitive blockbuster market. Its own arch-nemesis has appeared in the film of a largely critical audience which finds many of its most recent film adaptations taking a turn on the dark side, leaving many of its fans, well — in the dark!
Looking to compete with Marvel Studios winning streak of features, Warner Bros. had reported an itinerary listing the release dates of its own DC films properties that would be developing its own expanded universe, with Cavill, Affleck and Gadot leading the pack each with their own titular release in the works. Gadot struck gold with Wonder Woman in 2017 heralding the success of a film with a super heroine on the marque, though its follow-up Justice League was wrought with intense scrutiny and controversy, leading to director Josh Whedon finishing the film.
Since then, WB has wrestled with Ben Affleck’s star power on his proposed solo-outing The Batman. The actor has reportedly been dissatisfied with the script and the film has passed several hands before landing Matt Reeves in the director’s chair. With a script that’s still in much debate, and a pair of “Joker” movies that have been green lit and proceeding as planned. Whether The Batman will ultimately star Affleck is still to be determined, and with the news that Cavill has been released from his obligations to “Superman” who knows what boot will drop next.
What’s certain is that fans will get to dive into the upcoming Aquaman starring Jason Mamoa, also introduced in Justice League (it was suggested at one time that Mamoa was among Snyder’s first choices for the lead role in Man of Steel). Another sequel that has fans anxiously awaiting its first trailer is Wonder Woman 1984 which reunites Gadot with her director Patty Jenkins, and places the Amazon princess’ adventures during the advent of the Cold War. As to what’s next for Superman, after setting the bar so high, Henry Cavill’s successor will find his boots hard to fill.
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