This story just will not stop taking turns. A recap of what’s gone down so far:
- In October, Henry Cavill made a cameo appearance as Superman in the movie Black Adam. Star Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson was adamant about getting Cavill back as Superman, intending to use him in future Black Adam movies.
- Shortly thereafter, Cavill announced that he was officially back as Superman, saying that there was “a bright future ahead” for his take on the character.
- Then, early this week, Cavill backtracked and said that he would not be returning as Superman. This was after he met with the new co-CEOs of DC Studios, James Gunn and Peter Safran, who are taking the franchise in a different direction.
And now, The Hollywood Reporter has it that not only is Warner Bros. Discovery not bringing Cavill back for further appearances as Superman, they’re cutting a cameo he already filmed for The Flash, which is due out next year.
Gal Gadot’s cameo as Wonder Woman is being cut from The Flash movie
And Cavill isn’t the only former DC star that Gunn and Safran are cutting loose. We also heard that they declined to go forward with plans for Wonder Woman 3, which would have starred Gal Gadot in the title role. She was set to have a cameo in The Flash as well. It is also being cut.
In short, Gunn and Safran are basically cutting all ties to the former incarnation of the DC Extended Universe, much of it put in place by Zack Snyder back in the day. And they’re doing this in spite of opposition from people like the Rock, who could probably throw them around like action figures if he had a mind to. “In the end, was a pawn in Dwayne’s failed attempt to control a piece of DC,” one insider said.
That said, Gunn and Safran are trying to let the former DC stars down easy, forgoing agents to meet with actors directly. They may not want Cavill back as Superman, but they reportedly talked about other opportunities within the DCEU. They want Ben Affleck, who used to play Batman, about directing a movie. Jason Momoa, who plays Aquaman, may stick around the DCEU in a different role. No word on whether they offered Gal Gadot something.
Meanwhile, The Flash is due out on June 16 of 2023…maybe. The Flash stars DCEU holdover Ezra Miller, who got himself into a heap of scandalous trouble over the past year. It’s not inconceivable that the studio could just scrap that movie entirely, although I’ll only believe that when I see it.
Basically, the DCEU is in shambles, as per usual. Maybe Gunn and Safran have a plan to right it, but it’s going to take a lot of time and effort.
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