According to a new report, Henry Cavill re-entering negotiations to play Superman on the big screen again. Released in 2013, Zack Snyder's Man of Steel was the first movie in Warner Bros.' planned DC Extended Universe, and in 2014 Warner Bros. announced that a sequel was in development alongside a massive slate of connected DC movies. Six years later, it looks like Man of Steel 2 is dead - but why?
The primary reason is the downturn in popularity that the DCEU faced after the Flash have suffered long delays. Warner Bros. showed every sign of wanting to leave Snyder's DC vision behind - including Man of Steel 2.
In 2018, Shazam!, which Warner Bros. had been trying to get Cavill for, but which ended up being played by a different actor (the movie got around the problem by not showing Superman's face). As is standard for any blockbuster movie with sequel potential, Cavill's original contract had him attached to a certain number of movies in the franchise - four movies, to be exact. That means he could return for one more movie on the current contract, but Cavill and Warner Bros. need a new contract for anything more than that.
Cavill is now reportedly in talks to reprise his role as Superman, but The Batman.
Despite the many criticisms aimed at Man of Steel, Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League, audiences and reviewers generally took issue with Snyder's vision rather than Cavill's performance. The fact that Warner Bros. is seeking his return is a positive sign, and the fact that there's no solo Superman movie in development at the moment doesn't mean that there won't be in the near future. It could well be the case that DC Films plans to bring Cavill's Superman back in a smaller role to gauge if audiences want to see more of him, before committing to making him the star of his own movie once again. For those who were looking forward to Man of Steel 2, this news is definitely a positive sign.
