But no Superman for Henry Cavill: Instead, he's now doing "Warhammer 40K"
Shock for Henry Cavill fans: Only two months after announcing his return, the British actor already has to say goodbye to "Superman" again. But his departure could also have something good: "Warhammer 40K".
Fans of Henry Cavill's Superman will be spared nothing: no sooner have they celebrated his return to the DC universe in "Black Adam" than they have to say goodbye to him again. This was confirmed by studio co-boss and "The Suicide Squad" director James Gunn in a tweet. A bang that no one saw coming.
A new "Superman" movie? Yes, but without Cavill
In the Twitter thread, Gunn talks about upcoming cinematic projects for the first time since his appointment as co-boss of the newly formed DC Studios. One of them is a new "Superman" film that will highlight Clark Kent's arrival in Metropolis and his early years as Superman:
«[...] In der Anfangsphase wird sich unsere Geschichte auf einen früheren Teil von Supermans Leben konzentrieren, so dass der Charakter nicht von Henry Cavill gespielt werden wird.»
In addition, Gunn went on to say that he had "just had a great meeting" with Henry Cavill where they talked about a number of "exciting possibilities" to work together in the future as well. However, he did not reveal further details.
So Cavill is no longer to play Superman. Or is he? What Gunn means by "exciting possibilities" remains a mystery. Far more telling - and definitive -, however, were Henry Cavill's words in an Instagram post published almost simultaneously:
«Ich hatte gerade ein Treffen mit James Gunn und Peter Safran und es ist eine traurige Nachricht, Leute. Ich werde nun doch nicht als Superman zurückkehren.»
It is clear from Cavill's words that not only the fans but also he had been surprised by the decision. Previously, Cavill had explained his withdrawal from "The Witcher" at least officially by saying that he wanted to concentrate on the next "Superman" film. After all, Warner Bros. had told him to announce his return as Superman before the end of October. Fans and insiders, however, rumoured that disagreements between Cavill and "The Witcher" executives were the real reason for his exit: Cavill demanded that the series stick closer to the book and then fell out with Netflix, the producing studio behind the Witcher series.
In the end, the news "wasn't easy," Cavill continues in his Instagram post, "but that's life." In his usual conciliatory manner, Cavill stresses that he respects Gunn's decision. After all, Gunn and Peter Safran, the other DC Studios co-head, had "a universe to create."
When one door closes, a new one opens: Warhammer 40K
The outrage among fans is great. That the American actor has the fans on his side, however, is not surprising. Cavill is incredibly popular. His open and nerdy passion for gaming and computing is no longer a secret - and a rarity in glamorous Hollywood. For example, an excessive gaming session in the MMORPG "World of Warcraft" almost caused him to miss his role as Superman because he was too busy to pick up the phone.
Fate seems to mean well for Cavil and his gamer fan base nonetheless. Because just one day after the devastating news, the muscleman surprised everyone with a new post on Instagram. The news: Cavill wants to found and helm the Warhammer Cinematic Universe. This means the iconic table-top game will finally get a live-action adaptation.
«Seit 30 Jahren träume ich davon, ein Warhammer-Universum in Live-Action zu sehen. Jetzt, nach 22 Jahren Erfahrung in dieser Branche, habe ich endlich das Gefühl, dass ich die Fähigkeiten und Erfahrungen habe, um ein Warhammer Cinematic Universe ins Leben zu rufen.»
Cavill confirms in his post that the Warhammer universe has found "the perfect home" at Amazon. This also makes it clear that upcoming Warhammer projects will be available to watch on Amazon Prime Video. Further, Cavill explicitly promised all Warhammer fans to "respect the franchise we love" and to "stay true to the massive scope." Cavill indeed knows what he is talking about: That "Warhammer 40K", which is part of the Warhammer franchise, is another of his many passions, he has already impressively flaunted in countless interviews such as this one:
When to expect a Warhammer release is not yet clear. Cavill confirmed that the search for a showrunner and writers had just begun. This means it should be another three or four years before "Warhammer" sees the light of the streaming world.
I'm an outdoorsy guy and enjoy sports that push me to the limit – now that’s what I call comfort zone! But I'm also about curling up in an armchair with books about ugly intrigue and sinister kingkillers. Being an avid cinema-goer, I’ve been known to rave about film scores for hours on end. I’ve always wanted to say: «I am Groot.»