Henry Cavill Exits Superman Role in DC Extended Universe

The DC Extended Universe has just lost its Man of Steel. Henry Cavill has exited the role of Superman for Warner Bros.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the exit reportedly occurred when negotiations for a cameo in the upcoming Shazam movie broke down due to scheduling conflicts.

Cavill’s exit as Superman opened his schedule up to take the lead role in Netflix’s upcoming television adaptation of The Witcher.

With Cavill leaving, Warner Bros. doesn’t plan to make another Superman movie for several years. Instead, it will shift focus onto the planned Supergirl movie.

“Superman is like James Bond, and after a certain run you have to look at new actors,” a studio source said.

The report suggests that Ben Affleck will likely also depart his DCEU role as Batman, opening up the position for a new, probably younger actor in Matt Reeves’ standalone Batman movie.

Cavill would likely not be a part of the Supergirl film, since it will focus on Kara Zor-El as a teenager on Krypton, back when Kal-El was still an infant.

Cavill played Superman three times in Warner Bros.’ shared DC Comics movie universe. He debuted in the role in 2013’s Man of Steel. He returned to battle Affleck’s Dark Knight in 2016’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. His appearance as Superman in 2017’s Justice League will apparently be his final outing as the character.

“There’s a recognition that some parts of the previous movies didn’t work,” a source told THR. Another source hints that this is just one big moment as Warner Bros. attempts to “reset” the direction of DC Films. This idea is backed up by comments from WarnerMedia CEO John Stankey during an investor call earlier this month, in which he said that “Some of our franchises, in particular DC, we all think we can do better.”

How do you feel about Henry Cavill’s departure from the DC Extended Universe movies? Who do you think should play Superman next? Let us know what you think in the comments!

Upcoming DC Extended Universe movies include Aquaman on Dec. 21st, Wonder Woman 1984 on Nov. 1, 2019, Shazam on April 5, 2019, Cyborg in 2020, and Green Lantern Corps in 2020.