Henry Cavill's Superman Future Appears To Still Be Up In The Air

2022 has served as a year of massive shakeups for the movie and television future of DC Comics. The shifts began on a more dire note after the official merger of Warner Bros. and Discovery, which included messy removals of content on HBO Max and the cancellation of planned DCEU projects such as a proposed "Batgirl" movie. Yet everything appeared to move on an upswing with the announcement of James Gunn and Peter Safran as the heads of DC Studios. The two have been mapping out the future of DC film and TV projects that could be interlocking and expanded as the MCU with Disney.

While no official details from Gunn and Safran's DC Universe Bible have officially been announced, fans initially thought that the revamped DCEU would include a welcome and familiar face. Actor Henry Cavill returned as Superman this year for a memorable mid-credits scene in "Black Adam." Shortly after that appearance, amidst fan-buzzing speculation, Cavill officially announced his return as Superman and teased a big future for the Last Son of Krypton. Unfortunately, it may not be such a smooth flight for Cavill's expected return, as thanks to reported plans from Gunn and Safran, the actor's Superman future might actually be up in the air.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, a big theory surrounding James Gunn and Peter Safran's plans for the future of the DC Universe is to start with a clean slate and purge away any future projects related to director Zack Snyder's era with the heroes. This includes the planned sequel to "Man of Steel," which many fans believed was the project actor Henry Cavill was teasing for his Superman return. The Hollywood Reporter further noted that when Cavill announced returning to the role of Superman, there were actual plans for a "Man of Steel 2" with the actor. However, the sequel may never take flight depending on Gunn's and Safran's plans and what Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav agrees to do.

If "Man of Steel 2" gets canceled, that would leave an important question about Cavill's DC future as Superman. After officially making the announcement himself, we'd hope the actor is still somehow included in whatever Gunn and Safran have figured out. And that should mean another standalone Superman project. This is especially concerning as Cavill recently left his role of Geralt of Rivia on Netflix's "The Witcher," a series he was initially committed to for at least seven seasons. We'd have to imagine that the chance to again don the blue-and-red suit for DC might have largely influenced his decision to leave "The Witcher."