Image Source: Everett Collection
Henry Cavill is hanging up his Superman cape for good. On Dec. 14, the previous Man of Steel shared a press release on Instagram asserting he was formally out of the DC Universe after assembly with studio chiefs James Gunn and Peter Safran. “I’ll, in any case, not be returning as Superman,” he wrote. “After being informed by the studio to announce my return again in October, previous to [Gunn and Safran’s] rent, this information is not the best, however that is life. The altering of the guard is one thing that occurs. I respect that.”
“My flip to put on the cape has handed.”
The information comes just some weeks after Dwayne Johnson revealed he had pushed arduous for Cavill’s return to the franchise and refused to “take no for a solution.” Cavill continued his assertion with an uplifting message, writing, “For those that have been by my facet via the years…..we are able to mourn a bit, however then we should bear in mind…. Superman continues to be round.” He went on, “Everything he stands for nonetheless exists, and the examples he set for us are nonetheless there! My flip to put on the cape has handed, however what Superman stands for by no means will. It’s been a enjoyable trip with you all, onwards and upwards.”
Gunn provided extra context across the determination on Twitter, sharing that DCU’s new slate together with Superman is “able to go.” “In the preliminary phases, our story can be specializing in an earlier a part of Superman’s life, so the character won’t be performed by Henry Cavill,” he wrote. However, Gunn teased a potential return from Cavill alongside the road, including that he and Safran “simply had a fantastic assembly” with the actor. “We’re massive followers and we talked about quite a few thrilling potentialities to work collectively sooner or later,” he mentioned. The filmmaker additionally revealed he could be sharing extra details about their upcoming initiatives to start with of the brand new yr.
Cavill initially confirmed he was returning to the function in an Instagram video submit shared on Oct. 24. “I needed to make it official that I’m again as Superman,” Cavill mentioned within the clip, which featured a photograph displaying him decked out in his full Superman regalia. “The picture you see on this submit and what you noticed in ‘Black Adam’ are only a very small style of issues to return. There’s rather a lot to be glad about, and I’ll get to that in time, however I needed to thanks guys most of all to your help and your endurance. I promise will probably be rewarded.”
In a video shared to Twitter on Nov. 23, Johnson — who beforehand disclosed his want to see his Black Adam battle Superman — revealed he needed to push arduous to get Cavill again within the cape. “If we will set up Black Adam as essentially the most highly effective, unstoppable drive within the DC Universe, we now have to convey again essentially the most highly effective, unstoppable drive of all time in any universe,” he mentioned. “Of course, that’s Superman, and that is Henry Cavill.”
However, Johnson mentioned Warner Bros. was “inexplicably and inexcusably” proof against having Cavill return. “This has been years within the making concerning bringing Henry Cavill again and years of strategic conversations, and we weren’t going to take no for a solution,” he added. “There was no method, there isn’t any viable logical method you could try to construct out the DC Universe with out essentially the most highly effective drive and the best superhero of all time sitting on the sidelines. It’s unattainable to do.”
Johnson first publicly spoke about wanting Cavill to reprise the function in an Oct. 10 interview, revealing that he hoped his Black Adam would have the possibility to combat Superman sooner or later. “Absolutely,” he informed CinemaBlend when requested if he needed a film that pits the 2 ultrapowerful fighters towards one another. “That is the entire level of this, man.”
Cavill performed Superman in 2013’s “Man of Steel” and reappeared within the function in Zack Snyder movies “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” and “Justice League,” launched in 2016 and 2017, respectively. Speculation about his return had been effervescent for years, particularly after Cavill informed The Hollywood Reporter in 2021, “As I at all times say, ‘The cape continues to be within the closet.'”
Since “Justice League,” Cavill performed the lead in Netflix’s “The Witcher” from 2019 to 2021 and Sherlock Holmes in 2020’s “Enola Holmes” and its 2022 sequel, amongst different roles.