The development of a Man of Steel sequel led by Henry Cavill is still seemingly underway, according to a new report courtesy of Deadline. The DCU has been thrown into (further) disarray over the last few days, with speculation claiming that Wonder Woman 3 has been canceled, Cavill’s future as Superman is no longer certain, and Jason Momoa could abandon the role of Aquaman in favor for Lobo. Well, as per the repot, Cavill’s time as the Man of Steel is not over yet.
The report claims that it was the decision of Warner Bros. Film Group Co-Chairpersons and CEOs Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy, alongside Black Adam star Dwayne Johnson, to put Cavill’s Superman in the post-credits scene. A post-credits scene that arguably got more hype than the movie itself. While they have “no regrets,” it was Cavill who took it upon himself to “announce his return as the Man of Steel on Instagram on October 24, the day before Safran and Gunn were named as heads of DC.”
It sounds like, while the idea of Cavill appearing as Superman in Black Adam was done to hint that his iteration was back, this was not the sure thing that the actor’s social media announcement suggested. Since then, De Luca and Abdy “heard a pitch” for Man of Steel 2 “from Man of Steel producer Charles Roven and a writer.” However, “they didn’t like it” and “wanted to wait for Safran and Gunn’s plan to come into place.”
Thus, while Cavill’s return as Superman in Black Adam had people assuming that Man of Steel 2 was ago, the sequel “never was greenlighted, didn’t have a director nor was it packaged.” Though the report does end with an optimistic revelation that Man of Steel 2 “remains an open slot until the studio hears a better pitch.”
Provided that James Gunn and Peter Safran hear that perfect pitch, hope will rise again, and Henry Cavill’s Superman will return.
Henry Cavill Has Promised an Enormously Joyful Superman Should Man of Steel 2 Happen
Cavill made his debut as Superman in 2013’s Man of Steel, and while his casting was well-received, criticism was leveled at the depiction of a more morose, brooding version of the beloved comic book character. These elements did not improve with Cavill’s next appearance in 2016’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and while Superman does seem a lot more cheerful at the end of both the Joss Whedon Justice League and Zack Snyder's Justice League, he has never quite reached the heights of endearing optimism shown by his comic book counterpart.
Should Man of Steel 2 happen, Cavill has promised there will be some changes made to the character. “The character means so much to me. It’s been five years now. I never gave up hope, and it’s amazing to be here now talking about it again,” Cavill said in October. “There is such a bright future ahead for the character. I’m so excited to tell a story with an enormously joyful Superman.”
With Man of Steel 2 nothing more than a serious maybe, the question remains, did Henry Cavill walk away from The Witcher thinking that his Superman comeback was assured?