A couple of weeks ago, it was announced that Henry Cavill would be playing the lead in The Witcher series on Netflix, fueling concerns about his availability to continue to play Superman. Whether or not there is any connection between Henry Cavill getting the role in The Witcher has anything to do with it or not, these concerns turned out to be justified, as today the Hollywood Reporter, along with other reputable trades, are reporting that Cavill is out as the Man of steel following the breakdown of talks for a small role in the upcoming SHAZAM! film and – it seems – future projects with Cavill in the iconic role, might not be panning out. The Hollywood reporter speculated that the studio has been looking to bring the character of Supergirl to the big screen.
Whether or not Cavill’s role in the The Witcher was the reason or merely the result of his talks with DC remains unclear. Dany Garcia, Cavill’s manager, has said that the “cape is still in his closet,” implying that there is still a relationship between the actor and the studio, and pleaded for the public to wait for an official statement from the studio. The only official statement made by the studio as of this writing has said that no official decision has been made
That statement aside, the damage may already be done. Fans and pundits alike are distraught by the news, which is just the latest in a series of speed-bumps for DC’s fledgling movie universe. Some fans are using this news as a calling for the studio to reboot the universe entire, while others have jumped shipped. There is little doubt that all this uncertainty behind the scenes, regardless of whether calmer heads will eventually prevail and a deal with the actor can be worked out, will have an effect on the studios upcoming films that already in the can.
This is just opinion here: Cavill is/was fine as Superman. Yet he was never given too much to sink his teeth into to become that character. He had been forced to play him and angsty and disturbed most of the time instead of iconic and inspiring.
