Although we most recently saw Henry Cavill play Superman in 2021’s Zack Snyder’s Justice League, considering that the footage of him in that four-hour event was shot years prior, that means it’s been about half a decade since the actor brought the Kryptonian hero to life (a stand-in was used for Shazam! and Peacemaker). However, it sounds like the DC Extended Universe is gearing up to shine the spotlight on the Man of Steel again. Plans are reportedly in motion for Cavill to reprise Superman in a leading capacity, although exactly how this will hasn’t been set in stone yet.
Dwayne Johnson has already made it clear that his DC character, Black Adam, will “absolutely” fight Superman on the big screen someday, though it’s unclear whether this would happen in a direct Black Adam sequel or a crossover movie akin to Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Either way, THR has shared that Warner Bros. “has an intense desire” for Henry Cavill to return as Superman for a project that would “essentially be Man of Steel 2,” to the point that the studio is now searching for a writer. This same report also mentioned that The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker’s James Gunn is in talks for a mystery DC movie, but it’s unclear if this is Man of Steel 2 or something focused on a different DC property.
Hearing that Warner Bros. Discovery is interested in making Man of Steel 2 shouldn’t come as a total shock, as back in April, it was reported that executives, including CEO David Zaslav, felt that “top-shelf characters” like Superman “need to be revitalized.” Now granted, in early 2021, we learned that producer J.J. Abrams and writer Ta-Nehisi Coates were collaborating on a Superman reboot that would reportedly star a Black actor as the superhero and span multiple decades. With this latest update though, it appears that WB is now leaning towards instead bringing back Henry Cavill, who has starred in movies like Mission: Impossible — Fallout and Enola Homes, as well as led the hit Netflix TV show The Witcher, in the years since Justice League’s theatrical cut came out.
Now obviously Warner Bros. has final say about what to do with Superman next, whether that’s resume Henry Cavill’s tenure with the character or press the reset button. However, regarding the Cavill path, given Dwayne Johnson’s status in Hollywood and how he played a key role in putting Black Adam together both as the lead actor and a producer, it stands to reason he has some pull at WB when it comes to Black Adam’s DCEU future. Keeping that in mind, I can’t help wondering if Johnson could pull enough strings to prioritize a Black Adam vs. Superman movie over Man of Steel 2.
Conversely, should the Warner Bros. brass stick with their guts and focus on making Man of Steel 2 happen before Superman comes to blows with Black Adam, there are certainly plenty of directions the sequel could go. For example, Henry Cavill expressed interest in Kal-El/Clark Kent battling Brainiac, one of the most iconic members of Superman’s rogues gallery. It should also be noted that even if Man of Steel 2 moves forward, the chances of Zack Snyder directing are slim, as not only is he busy putting the two-part Rebel Moon together for Netflix, but he also intends to direct Planet of the Dead, the sequel to 2021’s Army of the Dead, which will be released on the same streaming service
Needless to say there’s a lot of uncertainty surrounding Superman’s film future, but those who enjoy Henry Cavill’s incarnation of the character have cause to be excited for now. While we wait for more developments on this front, check out CinemaBlend’s coverage of upcoming DC movies and other film-related news.
