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In breaking entertainment news, Warner Bros. has announced it has an “intense desire” to reprise Henry Cavill’s role as Superman in a film that would essentially be Man of Steel 2. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the project will be produced by Charles Roven (who produced Man of Steel as well as Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and arguably the greatest superhero films ever made, The Dark Knight Trilogy), who is reportedly searching for writers for the upcoming project.
The whole Superman stir comes about due to a few crucial happenings of late. Firstly, rave reviews of Black Adam, where (***SPOILERS***) Cavill’s Superman makes a cameo appearance, sent fans into overdrive, calling for the Brit to officially don the cape once more after a decade-long hiatus.
DC is reportedly interested in having Henry Cavill return as Superman in a project that is "essentially Man of Steel 2."https://t.co/bSsr1vMBA8
— IGN (@IGN) October 17, 2022
Then, there are all the developments happening in the DC universe that will (hopefully) pave way for future Superman (and DC) films. Walter Hamada, head of DC Films, is ending his 15-tear tenure with the company which is a pretty big announcement given the outgoing WB exec has allegedly been the one blocking the prospect of Cavill returning to his rightful role. Naturally, Superman is arguably the most important character in the DC Comics world and Warner Bros. is certainly under no illusions when it comes to its cinematic strategy involving the character.
In Gotham City, director Matt Reeves is slowly but surely expanding his The Batman universe, with a sequel to the 2021 hit in the works, as well as a standalone Penguin TV Series. Whether or not there will be a Superman cross-over remains to be seen. Away from Superman, renowned Star Wars director J.J. Abrams is also in the mix to develop his own DC project, as is Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Really, the news comes at a perfect time for Warner Bros. and DC after what has been a tumultuous decade involving failed projects (Justice League films; Batman v Superman, etc), cancelled films (Batgirl) and ultimately, a lack of universal appeal among both fans and critics.
Of course, most will agree that none of DC’s wrongdoings is at the fault of its leading superheroes, like Cavill’s ‘Superman’ and even Ben Affleck’s ‘Batman’. Two actors who gave great performances given the storm that they respectively faced behind-the-scenes and throughout the filmmaking processes of the last decade.
Cavill presented his version of Superman in the 2013 rebirth of the character, Man of Steel, which has still been the best replacement for the late Christopher Reeve we’ve seen; it was a role he was destined to play. In an old Instagram post from Zach Snyder, he explained the first time Cavill put on the red cape back in 2012:
“This was the shot [above] I did to show the studio that this was my Superman… they agreed,” Snyder wrote. “Got the suit from Warner archives and Henry honoured its Legacy.” In the following years, Cavill went on to reprise his role in the box-office bombs Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Justice League and Zack Snyder’s Justice League.
But as for his future as the world’s greatest superhero? Well, with the ebb and flow of Hollywood productions – and the DC Universe – as it stands, it looks like we’ll be seeing more of him in some shape or form. Watch this space.
