If you’ve been following the DC Extended Universe, you know Superman’s presence has been felt throughout it. The shared universe started with Man of Steel, expanded with Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice. Even after he was “killed” in that film, Superman was the reason why Suicide Squad and Justice League got together. The question is? What happens to Superman after Henry Cavill fulfills his contract with Man of Steel 2?
Collider might have the answers. They share the rumor that Warners still wants Superman to be the glue of the DCEU, intending him to be featured in many of the DCEU films. They envision small but important cameos sort of like Nick Fury has in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
However, Henry Cavill only has one film left on his contract with Warners, which is expected to be the currently in development Man of Steel 2. Collider hears that the studio is currently in negotiations with the actor to extend that contract to fill their needs.
Steve “Frosty” Weintraub of Collider had a chance to talk to Cavill at CinemaCon, where Cavill was promoting Mission Impossible-Fallout, and brought this topic up. This is what Cavill said:
I’m having a lot of conversations, behind-the-scenes, with certain people and we will hopefully be having conversations with other people who are also behind-the-scenes to make things start happening. It is very much in my desire to do a Man of Steel 2, a direct sequel to Man of Steel, and there is a whole bunch of Superman story that I want to tell. There is a whole style of Superman’s character that I’m very keen to tell and I’m looking forward to the opportunity.
That’s an enigmatic answer if there ever was one, but seems to confirm that contract extension negotiations are underway. Weintraub pressed him explicitly on the contract extension, and Cavill coyly states that no matter how many films are left on his contract, he’d still like to play the character.
Here’s the interview so you can judge for yourself:
There’s a lot of “reading between the lines” necessary to figure out what’s going on here. My take is that, yes, contract extensions are underway but nothing is set in stone as of yet. Also, that Cavill is positioning himself in such a way that if he is not brought back, it’s not because of him. Crafty.
This will be an issue to keep an eye on. Don’t forget, Warners isn’t shy when it comes to recasting its superhero characters. Remember when Batman went from Michael Keaton to Val Kilmer to George Clooney in the span of the same continuity? Cavill might want to be paid in the manner that his character will be used. But I’m also sure with the large production cost involved with these films, Warners wants that paycheck to be as low as possible. We’ll have to see if the two parties can find some way to meet in the middle.
More on this as it develops.
