Shortly after appearing in the Dwayne Johnson movie “Black Adam,” Henry Cavill parts ways with DCU!
There are some big changes happening at Warner Brothers regarding the DC cinematic universe. Discovery recently acquired WB Studios for a cost of $43 Billion. With such a hefty cost, came some massive changes in directions as well! As a result of that, Henry Cavill recently announced that he will no longer be playing Superman for DC.
However, that comes as a massive shock for the fans as Henry himself announced just a few weeks ago that he is indeed reprising the role of the most iconic superhero of all time. It was also a big driving point for the marketing of the recently released Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson movie, “Black Adam.” But, things can change in a heartbeat in Hollywood.
After Henry Cavill’s announcement of his coming back as Superman, reports came out that WB head honcho David Zaslav made some crucial decisions regarding DC’s future. He created a separate division for DC and put veteran filmmaker James Gunn and producer Peter Safran in charge of the operations.
Safran served as a producer for three separate DC movies, “Aquaman,” “Shazam,” and “The Suicide Squad.” James Gunn, on the other hand, collaborated with DC on two projects. He produced and directed some episodes of the highly-acclaimed “Peacemaker” starring John Cena and the aforementioned “The Suicide Squad.” So why are they in the headlines and how do Dwayne Johnson and Henry Cavill factor in it? Let’s find out.
Fans think Henry Cavill and Dwayne Johnson are victims of internal “DC politics”
Entertainment trade Variety reported on December 7th that James Gunn and Peter Safran are considering a complete reset of the DC cinematic universe. The report also added that Wonder Woman 3 was axed from their schedule as it did not fit into their future plans. Director Patty Jenkins also left the project in light of the situation.
But, the biggest indication that DC is moving towards a full reboot, came after Superman actor Henry Cavill revealed his discussions with James Gunna and Peter Safran. Cavill revealed that his previous announcement of his comeback as Superman was prior to Gunn and Safran joining DC. Since then, the duo has decided that it would be for the best if they clean the slate and build something new.
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Henry first donned the cape for 2013’s “Man of Steel” and then reprised the role for three different movies afterward. He appeared in “Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice,” “Justice League,” and this year’s “Black Adam.” He was basically the first actor that Zack Synder casted to kick off his vision for DCU. Although “Man of Steel” was a polarizing movie, his portrayal was loved universally.
Hence, when Dwayne Johnson decided to convince the studio higher-ups to bring Henry Cavill back, fans exploded with excitement. So the disappointment among the fans is understandable. While some are sad about the prospect of never seeing Henry Cavill as Superman again, others think politics in the DC studios led to the unfortunate situation.
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Here are some fan opinions on the issue
I feel bad for Henry Cavill. Sadly he got caught between The Rock (Dwayne Johnson) and a hard place (James Gunn & Peter Safran) with the DC politics.
— Terrence “TrulyMad” Cua 🔜🪦 (@TheTrulyMad) December 15, 2022
Now he’s not playing both Geralt and Superman because he hitched his wagon with The Rock.
Oof. pic.twitter.com/OctvcJQGdT
In the end, it feels like Dwayne Johnson brought Henry Cavill back as a marketing stunt for Black Adam honestly. Seems like Rock used him as a tool to try to create hype for his movie… pic.twitter.com/zdnXZBTLjX
— Pat Guy (@ThisPatGuy) December 15, 2022
Henry Cavill has been dropped as Superman, by the new Marvel-esque vanguard at DC
— Connor Tomlinson (@Con_Tomlinson) December 15, 2022
The best asset that DC has, who has been knocked from pillar to post by studio politics, and yet remained professional to honour the fans… And they abandon him
No interest left in DC now, at all pic.twitter.com/wcgrAdgor2
they really fucked him over with this one; he quits the witcher to return to superman, but then the new studio politics at warners kick him off that too. i feel bad for cavill. https://t.co/96FwPHUaJ7
— coмrade_yυι (@Comrade_Yui) December 15, 2022
The politics in DCEU studios is now getting abysmal. I feel very bad for Henry Cavill at this point. I hope he gets to play James Bond and never look back at Peter Safran, James Gunn or DCEU again.
— 𝘼. 𝙄. 𝙈. 👨🏽🚀 (@AimThaMachine_) December 15, 2022
Henry Cavill losing both Spiderman and The Witcher in the space of a few month is sad. He dropped the latter for the first ans lost both.
— Gina 🏆 (@Serginaoo) December 15, 2022
Henry Cavill was all set to return as Superman and there were reports that DC was developing a solo Superman movie. It is evident that Dwayne Johnson obviously pushed for Henry’s return. But, the “Guardians of the Galaxy” director has vetoed the decision after taking charge of DC. Amongst all the drama, it is Henry Cavill who is the loser as he also quit his role in “The Witcher” series for Netflix.
Will The Rock return as Black Adam in the DC universe?
Dwayne Johnson’s starring “Black Adam” was released on October 21st, 2022. The former WWE wrestler left no stone unturned to promote the movie. He traveled all over the world to spread the word. Despite his superstardom, the movie was not a big success. The movie earned a reported $389,377,750.
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Considering a budget of a reported $200 million, as per Variety, “Black Adam” will lose somewhere between $50 million to $100 million. Although The Rock maintains that the movie will not lose money when it is all said and done, it seems like a far-fetched theory. With James Gunn and Peter Safran cleaning house, there is a chance that the 50-year-old may not come back to the fold.
Recently, Wonder Woman actress Gal Gadot teased that she may also be done playing the character. Ben Affleck has already left his role in DC as Batman. So it does appear that the DC holy trinity does not have any actors attached to them. Although Robert Pattinson is the current Batman, his movies are expected to be separate from the new DC universe in development.
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As it stands, “Shazam: Fury of the Gods” (March 17th, 2023), “The Flash” (June 16th, 2023), and “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” (December 25th, 2023) are the only Snyder-verse movies scheduled for release. Although “Blue Beetle” (August 18th, 2023) and “Joker: Folie A Deux” (October 4th, 2024) are on the release schedule, those movies are expected to be separate from the existing universe.
Among those on the slate is Superman. In the initial stages, our story will be focusing on an earlier part of Superman’s life, so the character will not be played by Henry Cavill.
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) December 15, 2022
James Gunn took to Twitter to calm the nerves of the fans. He revealed that there is a plan in place for a new cinematic universe. Apparently, the announcements will come early in 2023.