With ‘Wonder Woman 3’ Scrapped, Will Henry Cavill Even Get a Chance to Return as Superman?

Big shakeups are happening at Warner Bros. Discovery’s DC Studios. It was reported December 8 that Patty Jenkins’ third “Wonder Woman” film will not move forward at the company, with insiders saying that plans for the overall DC Comics franchise, now under James Gunn and Peter Safran, conflicted with Jenkins’ vision. Many fans are expressing doubts about the future of characters and actors at the company, particularly Henry Cavill as the flagship DC hero Superman.

Cavill first launched the so-called DC Extended Universe — also consisting of “Wonder Woman” and a grab bag of other films starring Aquaman, Shazam, and the Suicide Squad — as Superman in 2013’s “Man of Steel.” He next appeared in 2016’s “Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice” and both versions of the “Justice League” film — the original 2018 theatrical release and the eventual HBO Max director’s cut from Zack Snyder. Following those films, DC largely seemed to drop Superman from their planned slate, until Cavill made a much-hyped cameo in this year’s “Black Adam” and confirmed he would be returning to the role in future projects.

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Following the release of “Black Adam,” fans received a further shock when it was announced that Cavill left his popular Netflix series “The Witcher,” with his role as Geralt of Rivia taken over by Liam Hemsworth. Cavill was a passionate fan of the original fantasy book series, and many interpreted that his exit was so he could return to the role of Superman. Now, fans on social media are worried that Cavill made the big leap for nothing.

Following the hiring of Gunn and Safran back in October, the DC Universe remains in flux as Warner Bros. awaits the release of next year’s “Shazam! Fury of the Gods,” “The Flash” with Ezra Miller, “Blue Beetle,” and “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom,” which will be the last film made under DC’s previous regime. The fate of Black Adam also remains unclear, as the film did solid opening numbers but ultimately grossed under $400 million at the global box office.

The Warner Bros. Discovery merger is behind many of the year’s most shocking production developments, including the shelving of Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah’s nearly complete “Batgirl.” Gunn and Safran are reportedly expected to meet with Warner Bros. Discovery chief David Zaslav sometime this week to present their vision for the franchise, so the future of DC could become clear sometime soon.

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