With what we know about Warner Bros. DC film schedule, it was clear that the original plans for the DC Extended Universe had changed. They’re making two Joker films that are completely unrelated…
With what we know about Warner Bros. DC film schedule, it was clear that the original plans for the DC Extended Universe had changed. They’re making two Joker films that are completely unrelated to each other and star different actors. The most exciting upcoming DC movies don’t revolve around members of the Justice League, they’re about Harley Quinn, Batgirl and in the nearer future, Shazam. Already, the future of the DC movie universe feels so different than it did a year ago. We never expected it to look this different, though.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Henry Cavill will no longer play Superman. There had been rumors surrounding contract negotiations with Cavill. Mainly, they revolved around whether cameos counted towards the number of film Cavill had signed on for, and whether the studio would make Man of Steel 2. Cavill reportedly wanted to continue playing Superman and really wanted to do another solo Man of Steel. Well, that’s certainly not happening anymore. THR’ s sources say contract negotiations broke down while Warner and Cavill were trying to work out a cameo in Shazam!. That’s not happening either due to scheduling conflicts, likely with Netflix’s Witcher series, where Cavill will play Geralt.
In that time, Warner Bros. decided to shift focus of the DC movies to Supergirl. Hey, it worked for the Arrowverse on TV. Unless they do a time jump like the TV series though, having Superman and Supergirl exist at the same time would prevent Cavill from continuing to play the role. She’s supposed to be his older cousin after all, so much of the time Supergirl would be active would be when Clark Kent is a baby. In any case, Warner Bros. is no longer interested in Cavill playing the Man of Steel. And it was Warner’s decision, per THR reporter Tatiana Siegel.
As for who broke up with whom, Warner Bros. was the one who decided to move on from Henry Cavill https://t.co/1qqh8QvZnj via @thr
— Tatiana Siegel (@TatianaSiegel27) September 12,2018
It’s a shame. As exciting as a big screen Supergirl movie is, Henry Cavill was great as Superman. The movies he starred in had problems, but he was not one of them. In fact, he was the only part of Man of Steel, Batman v Superman, or Justice League that really felt like Superman. He could play the awkward, earnest Kansas boy as well as the larger-than-life god hero. More than that, he wanted to be Superman. Where a certain other DCEU actor hemmed and hawed about whether he’d return to what would be a dream role for many, Cavill was actively trying to make more Superman movies. He was the Superman a DC movie universe deserves. Just, apparently, not the one it thinks it needs right now.
Michael B. Jordan in Black Panther (Photo via Marvel)
So who is going to replace Cavill? There’s nothing official yet, and there won’t be for quite a while. Obviously, Warner Bros. isn’t entirely done making Superman movies forever, but we won’t see a new one for the next few years. Maybe they’re going to let Kara handle things for a bit while baby Clark Kent grows up. They are already considering actors though, and one is particularly exciting. Deadline reports that Warner Bros. has been thinking about moves they like to make down the road, and have even considered casting Michael B. Jordan as Superman. Um… Yes! Please! If there’s any way to make whoever they cast not feel like a poor man’s Henry Cavill, that kind of completely new direction for the role is the way to go.
There’s also the fact the Michael B. Jordan is a phenomenal actor. He’s charming and captivating in every role he’s in, and like Cavill, he can easily and naturally switch between relatable everyman and comic book superhero. Everyone would fall in love with Jordan as sweet, clumsy Clark Kent from Smallville, Kansas and you all know it. Come on, Warner Bros. It’s out there now, you might as well do it. Anyone else would just be a disappointment at this point.
Today was exciting #Superman
A post shared by Henry Cavill (@henrycavill) on Sep 12,2018 at 4:23pm PDT
The newscasts further doubt on Ben Affleck’s future as Batman in the DC movies. Rumors of Affleck’s departure have been around since before Justice League came out, and the actor never firmly denied them. They only got more persistent when neither Affleck nor The Batman director Matt Reeves would confirm for sure who would star in that film. Now, in The Hollywood Reporter’ s story on Henry Cavill, they seem to state pretty definitively that Affleck won’t return.
“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,” Tatiana Siegel writes in the article.
It’s not clear whether that’s based on sourced information or the persistent and very likely rumor that Affleck is leaving the role. Still, Warner Bros. reportedly wants to completely reset the DC Movie universe, and there’s no quicker path to that than replacing two of its biggest stars. As much grief as Affleck got when he took on the role, I’m not happy to see him go. Affleck made a fine Bruce Wayne, and a capable Caped Crusader as well. He is a good actor, and the problems with BvS and Justice League were not caused by him.
On the other hand, he is the oldest member of the Justice League cast at this point. His age made sense in BvS because it was partially adapting Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns, which starred an older Batman. It’s not hard to imagine that Warner Bros. would want to tells some stories of a younger Dark Knight, though. That, combined with Affleck’s continued uncertainty about reprising the role makes his exit feel pretty inevitable.
Ezra Miller (via Warner Bros.)
On to happier news though, not every member of the Justice League is leaving DC. Beyond the very promising Aquaman releasing later this year, The Flash movie is finally actually happening. It was supposed to come out before Justice League, but this thing’s been stuck in development hell for a long time. It’s changed writers, directors, and even a few cast members. At one point, it was going to be called Flashpoint and would be based on the beloved comic arc of the same name, but that idea was scrapped. Now, it’s back to just being The Flash and Game Night directors John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein appear to be sticking around to write and direct the thing. Though it’s still unclear exactly what comics story, if any, they’d be working from.
According to the same THR report on Cavill’s exit, The Flash is due to start filming in early 2019. This is the closest thing we’ve gotten to an official word on when The Flash will begin production. It’s also a promising sign that the movie still exists. Justice League had its problems, but Ezra Miller stole the show as Barry Allan. I’ll always stan Grant Gustin, but Miller turned in a fun, completely different take on The Flash that made me want to see his movie. If it ever got out of development hell. There’s still no firm release date, but if production actually does begin as scheduled in 2019, there’s bound to be more Flash news speeding our way.
Finally, we love looking at old concept art from superhero movies around here. Concept artist Jerad Marantz shared a few costumes he worked on for Batman v. Superman and Justice League, and some of them look cooler than the final product.
