Something is up with Henry Cavill and DC, and neither parties are making it easy to figure out exactly what.
On Wednesday, The Hollywood Reporter broke a story about how Cavill would no longer be DC’s Superman; Warner Bros. is reportedly more interested in pursuing a new movie about Supergirl’s story, and wants to put Superman on ice for “at least several years.” Ouch. There also appears to have been a breakdown in communication between Cavill’s reps and the studio, which at one point was trying to get Cavill to make a Superman cameo in the upcoming superhero movie Shazam!. It seems to have both been caused by and led to scheduling conflicts:
A Warners source says the Shazam! deal fell apart because of scheduling conflicts. And that is backed up by the fact that Cavill recently signed on to star in the Netflix series The Witcher. However, another source says that the Witcher commitment came after the Warners impasse, suggesting a change in the studio’s strategy.
Warner Bros released a statement that clarified nothing about Cavill’s future as Superman: “We have a great relationship and great respect for Henry Cavill that continues to remain unchanged. Additionally we have made no current decisions regarding any upcoming Superman films.”
Cavill also released a statement that clarified nothing. In an Instagram video, he stares poignantly at the screen as he moves a Superman figurine into the frame and then back out again. “Today was exciting,” reads the caption. A dog (a recording of a dog? a very musical one?) barks along to “The Blue Danube” in the background. What does it all mean?
Frankly, I think Cavill should ditch DC; I think they were holding him back, artistically speaking.