Superman Reportedly Shelved to Give Supergirl the Spotlight

Superman might be one of the most iconic superheroes of all time, but the Man of Steel looks to be heading to the Fortress of Solitude with recent comments from Forbes citing that plans for the character in the DC Extended Universe are reportedly on hiatus. Instead, Warner Bros. will be focusing on another Kryptonian, Supergirl, who is expected to get her own movie landing in theaters in 2021.

Reports first emerged about a Supergirl movie being in the works last fall, which also hinted that actor Henry Cavill could be leaving the DCEU behind for good. Given the immense success of the Supergirl series on The CW, it would only make sense for the studio to prioritize a film featuring the character above Superman, yet this recent report implies that virtually all DCEU projects will take priority over a Superman film for the time being.

The Hollywood Reporter initially reported that Cavill was hanging up the cape last September, citing that contract negotiations were the reason behind the departure. In the time since that report, there’s still no official word on either Cavill’s future in the franchise or Superman’s fictional future, with those plans possibly complicated by the Mission: Impossible franchise, which has two sequels on the horizon and could potentially see an appearance from Cavill in some capacity.

Cavill wouldn’t be the only actor leaving the DCEU behind, with confirmation coming earlier this year that Ben Affleck, who starred as Batman in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League, would be passing the Bruce Wayne torch to a new actor for The Batman.

Neither Cavill nor Affleck have had an easy run as the iconic characters, despite the acclaim they have earned for their performances. Zack Snyder kicked off the DCEU with Man of Steel, which earned 56 percent positive reviews according to aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes and earned $668 million worldwide. Batman v Superman was an even bigger box office success, earning $873 million worldwide, yet only earned 27 percent positive reviews.

Justice League marks one of the biggest disappointments in the DCEU, earning only 40 percent positive reviews and taking in $657 worldwide. These numbers aren’t inherently poor, but with the film set to be the culmination of the franchise, both fans and critics were left wanting much more from the endeavor.

Stay tuned for details on Supergirl and Superman’s future in the DCEU.

What do you think of these recent reports? Let us know in the comments below!