Henry Cavill, who has starred as Superman in the DC Extended Universe since 2013’s Man Of Steel, is reportedly stepping away from the role.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, talks broke down for a cameo in Shazam! due to scheduling conflicts. While neither Cavill nor Warner Bros. has confirmed the news of the actor’s departure, a source told THR received the news of the split from a source.
Cavill portrayed Kal-El/Clark Kent/Superman in 2013’s Man Of Steel, 2016’s Batman v. Superman: Dawn Of Justice and 2017’s Justice League.
While the franchise started off on a relatively high note with Man Of Steel, the quality of the films and the character only devolved as the movies progressed.
via The Hollywood Reporter:
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.
Cavill has recently signed on to star in Netflix’s adaptation of the hit video game The Witcher .
