Fans were hyped back in October when the Black Adam end credits scene featured the return of Henry Cavill’s Superman. Cavill later discussed his new stint in the DCEU and expressed his excitement over being back in the superhero fold. However, his future with the franchise seems somewhat uncertain now that James Gunn and Peter Safran are overseeing things at DC Studios. There have been plenty of rumors swirling as of late, which allege that this iteration of the Last Son of Krypton won’t return. Amid these reports, Gunn answered a question about Supes’ future at the film company as well as that of Ryan Reynolds’ Green Lantern -- if you were wondering about the latter.
This past week, a lengthy report indicated that James Gunn and co. are making some big changes at DC Studios, such as cancelling Patty Jenkins’ Wonder Woman 3. Within the story, it was also alleged that the reported Man of Steel follow-up is no longer in development. Gunn addressed the purported shakeups, saying that some details were true, others were not while additional assumptions were half-true or not yet decided upon. Though the filmmaker couldn’t get into specifics in that case, he did provide a pretty direct answer when a fan asked if audiences would see any kind of Superman on the big screen moving forward:
Yes of course. Superman is a huge priority, if not the biggest priority.
James Gunn was a bit more humorous when it came to the subject of Ryan Reynolds’ Hal Jordan, though. Under that same thread, another fan asked if Reynolds’ “almighty” character will return, leading Gunn to drop a funny response:
That’s not a priority for me and even much less of one for @VancityReynolds.
I mean, are we surprised about that one, though? Even Ryan Reynolds himself has bashed the critically panned 2011 superhero flick. On social media, the Guardians of the Galaxy alum also shot down the assumption that Reynolds was going to reprise the role in a Zack Snyder-helmed production. Needless to say, the chances of seeing more of Superman seem far greater than the odds of getting more of GL.
Before Black Adam was developed, there was already a lot of uncertainty regarding Henry Cavill’s return to the role. The actor, however, always played things civilly, expressing his hopes to play the character again. And of course, once things were settled, Cavill had to keep the massive secret – and succeeded in doing so. It’s since been revealed that Dwayne Johnson was instrumental in Supes’ return. Johnson was greatly motivated to do so because he believed his antiheroic character needed a worthy foe, and he also enjoyed Cavill’s performance as the character.
Things definitely seem to be up in the air now, though. While there’s only so much that he can say at this time, James Gunn has attempted to be transparent during this time. Gunn has also addressed rumors about Superman, Green Lantern and more by making it clear that at this point, “NO ONE knows what’s happening at DC Studios right now other than me & Peter [Safran].” One would think that the two are cooking up big plans, which will apparently include the Man of Tomorrow. We’ll just have to wait and see if Henry Cavill is the one playing him. Though don’t hold your breath for more of Ryan Reynolds’ jade-colored, cosmic hero.
Be on the lookout for the DC movies that are on the schedule of 2023 new movie releases, and you can currently stream Man of Steel and Green Lantern using an HBO Max subscription.
