Credit: Superman: The Movie
If you loved Henry Cavill as Superman, you may have heard the glorious news. Boy, it feels like Man of Steel came out a lifetime ago and realistically, a sequel should have been released shortly after that. Sadly, however, that wasn’t the case. We DC fans remember all too well how the early stages of the DC Cinematic Universe began and Henry Cavill was a big part of it. By definition, Man of Steel is the movie that served as the launching-off point for the DCEU, but there was a downside. While Man of Steel did attract many fans, it unfortunately left many DC fans divided over Zack Snyder’s take on the hero and wasn’t the biggest box office hit.
Despite the mixed reception from critics and fans, Man of Steel made enough money to kick off the DCEU. Warner Bros. did get overzealous with what came after, but I think most fans would agree that none of the fault falls on Henry Cavill. Personally, I find him to be the best live-action Superman we have ever gotten. Yes, that does include the first man to put on the red cape, the one and only Christopher Reeves. A bold claim, but there was something interesting about Reeves’ first movie. His movie was titled, Superman: The Movie and not just the hero’s name. We’ve seen just about every superhero with their own movie but for the big, blue boy scout, his first live-action movie had to remind us that it was his movie.
That means we have never had a Superman movie that was just titled, “Superman”. That’s a little fun fact, but it’s something we could be getting sooner than we thought. Now, back to Henry Cavill. Until recently, we DC fans may have lost all hope on the chances of his return as the hero. Reports were flying around making contradicting claims about him possibly reprising the role, but we can thank one man for finally making it official. You already know, the man who spent many years becoming the DCEU’s newest anti-hero, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as Black Adam.
Credit: Black Adam
Even if you haven’t seen the movie, you’ve probably heard it from the mouth of Dwayne Johnson himself. He all but confirmed Henry Cavill would be returning as Superman during interview prior to Black Adam’s release. Even long before Black Adam‘s release, both actors were hinting this through social media posts expressing their enthusiasm about having their characters clash. Heck, Dwayne Johnson basically revealed that the whole point of Black Adam was to set up an inevitable battle of DC’s greatest powerhouses.
Henry Cavill popping up in Black Adam is one thing, but what about these reports about Man of Steel 2? Well, the man wouldn’t just come back for a quick cameo. That brief appearance means that Henry Cavill is still the Superman of the DCEU. With the new regime over at Warner Bros., it looks like they have an actual plan to give the character the respect he deserves. Thank you, Discovery.
Based on a report from The Hollywood Reporter, they claim Warner Bros. Discovery is ready to develop another Superman movie that would “essentially be Man of Steel 2” and is currently looking for writers. Their report also claims that prolific producer Charles Roven will be attached to the project, a man who has been a part of several DC projects. Another name the report mentioned was Christopher McQuarrie, the writer and director of Mission: Impossible – Fallout and Rogue Nation. While the report specifically stated that he was simply being eyed for the project, it would make sense if McQuarrie was indeed being considered, given his previous collaboration with Henry Cavill on the last Mission: Impossible.
Credit: DCEU
Now let’s assume that everything about this report has merit behind it. As a fan who finds Man of Steel to be criminally underrated, I would be all for it. However, I have to wonder if the long duration of time after the first one matters. In a way, it does, because this is a rare opportunity for the studio to do something they haven’t done before. A long time ago, we got Superman: The Movie, starring Christopher Reeves, a superhero movie that helped kicked off the genre into becoming a Hollywood staple. It deserves all the credit, but it doesn’t change that fact that we still have never received a movie titled just “Superman”. We have a Batman movie, a Spider-Man movie, and many, many more, but the big, blue boy scout is a different case.
Instead of calling the sequel Man of Steel 2, why not call it just Superman? This is honestly something we should’ve received a long time ago, but let’s be honest, the studio was never too kind with Superman movies. Heck, even getting Henry Cavill back was apparently a crazy process, because the old Warner Bros. bosses prior to the Discovery merger were against it. Perhaps it’s because Man of Steel didn’t perform at the exact level they wanted it to, but none of that is Henry Cavill’s fault. The man deserves another Superman movie and even if the new regime wants to make some changes to the DCEU, they can still have him on board.
After the upcoming Flash movie, the DCEU will probably be going through a soft reboot. If that is the case, then calling a Man of Steel sequel just Superman would be more fitting. They can still make some adjustments for a soft reboot while still keeping Henry Cavill around. And calling the movie just Superman will be the best way to represent how he can finally play the wholesome and optimistic hero we all know him to be. It will serve as a new beginning for Cavill’s take on the character, as well as the Superman for the new DCEU.
What are your thoughts, DC fans? Do you think calling the Man of Steel sequel just Superman will take anything away from the Christopher Reeves movie?Henry CavillHenry Cavill
