Yesterday The Hollywood Reporter claimed the Superman actor had quit the role he’s played across three DC movies.
And while rumours started sprouting that Michael B Jordan is the new favourite to replace him, Cavill’s agent and Warner Bros have released statements that appear to be saying he’s not going anywhere just yet.
The actor’s agent Dany Garcia tweeted yesterday: “Be peaceful, the cape is still in his closet.
“@wbpictures has been and continues to be our partners as they evolve the DC Universe. Anticipate a WB statement later today.”
As said, Warner Bros then released this statement: “While no decisions have been made regarding any upcoming Superman films, we’ve always had great respect for and a great relationship with Henry Cavill, and that remains unchanged.”
It sounds like contract negotiations for the star’s future as the superhero are still in limbo, so perhaps the number of films and his pay aren’t quite agreed upon just yet.
Apart from the statements, yesterday also saw Cavill himself release a cryptic Instagram video.
Wearing a T-shirt labelled “Krypton Lifting Team” – a direct reference to Superman’s home planet – the short video saw the star lifting up a doll of the superhero he portrays.
With the financial and critical failure of Justice League and Batman v Superman, it’s not a surprise that Warner Bros is shaking up its DC universe.
While Wonder Woman, Aquaman and Flash solo movies are going ahead, much remains unclear for the franchise.
Sure Matt Reeves is directing a Batman solo movie, but it’s about a young Dark Knight, so presumably Ben Affleck’s out.
Then there’s the fact that Joaquin Phoenix is shooting a Joker movie this month, while Jared Leto is also somehow still the same character who will appear in separate movies.
Despite different universes and reboots looking like they’re on the horizon, it seems that Warner Bros are testing what works while not prioritising narrative continuity.
Taking into account the studio also has animated movies with different actors playing superheroes like Batman, it looks like having multiple universes for the DC mythos may be the way forward for the studio.
In a way it makes sense financially to keep the DCEU – now called Worlds of DC – going for films that work like Wonder Woman, while exploring other avenues like Phoenix’s Joker movie.
It’s rumoured the latter could be part of a separate franchise called something like DC Dark, exploring a more serious tone like the Christopher Nolan Batman movies.