Henry Cavill Is Reportedly Done Playing Superman

Published on September 12, 2018.

Clay Enos/©Warner Bros. Pictures/courtesy Everett Collection

It seems a major shakeup is coming for the DC Comics movie universe!

After taking on the pivotal role of Superman/Clark Kent in 2013’s Man of Steel, 2016’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and 2017’s Justice League, it seems actor Henry Cavill is hanging up his tights and cape.

The Hollywood Reporter states that Cavill’s time as Superman came to an end after contract negotiations fell apart for him to make a cameo in the upcoming DC superhero film Shazam!

A Warner Bros. source says the Shazam! deal fell apart due to scheduling conflicts, as Cavill recently signed on to star in the Netflix series The Witcher. The studio source also said executives recognized “that some parts of the previous movies didn’t work,” and Warner Bros. is trying to hit a “reset” button within the DC Extended Universe that can rival Marvel Studios.

The move is rather surprising to some as DC was just gearing up for an onslaught of films and more Justice League films following the release of the second Wonder Woman film and Jason Momoa’s standalone Aquaman movie.

It seems if another Justice League movie is in the works, not only will another Superman need to be found, but also a new Batman as Ben Affleck will reportedly not be reprising his role as the caped crusader.

Regardless, it seems the studio isn’t too worried about the loss of Cavill as along with Wonder Woman: 1984, and Aquaman, they are working on a Supergirl origin story film, and a standalone The Flash movie starring Ezra Miller is set to begin production soon. As for Superman, they were apparently no plans for the character right away. “Superman is like James Bond,” a studio source said, “and after a certain run you have to look at new actors.”

Strangely enough, Cavill retweeted The Hollywood Reporter’s story that he is out as Superman amid the DC Universe shakeup, but then hours later retweeted a tweet from his manager Dany Garcia that read: “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.”

When Warner Brothers did release a statement however it was even more ambiguous simply saying: “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.”