We might not have to grab another dimpled chin actor to play Superman, because The Witcher himself, Henry Cavill, still wants to depict the Man of Steel.
Sources have reportedly confirmed to Variety that Henry Cavill is in talks to return as Clark Kent in an upcoming DC Comics movie, and previously, during an interview for Men’s Health’s December cover story, Cavill revealed he had not emotionally given up the role:
“The cape is still in the closet,” he said. “It’s still mine. I’m not going to sit quietly in the dark as all the stuff is going on. I’ve not given up the role. There’s a lot I have to give for Superman yet. A lot of storytelling to do. A lot of real, true depths to the honesty of the character I want to get into. I want to reflect the comic books. That’s important to me. There’s a lot of justice to be done for Superman. The status is: You’ll see.”
When it comes to Cavill and his portrayal of Superman, I have warmed up to it. He wasn’t terrible, but I think he was given scripts that stripped him of any ability to be charming. Being Superman is hard because a lot of it is being able to make an audience feel a sense of warmth and protection. Christopher Reeve was fantastic at that, and on The CW, despite not appearing a lot, Tyler Hoechlin has pulled off a very compelling and charming version of Clark Kent.
I also think we have seen how a good script and storyline is important to a Superman actor. Superman Returns did not truly take advantage of Brandon Routh’s charms and talents, because the script was not up to par and, in my opinion, took an angle that didn’t help (Deadbeat Dad Clark is OOC). Yet, Routh shined so well in The CW Arrowverse “Crisis” crossover. In those few scenes, we see Routh being more like Clark/Superman than we got in a full-length movie.
All that matters to me is having a good Superman film that is less obsessed with Clark being a God or Jesus figure and allows him to be a man—a man with complex emotions and feelings but who isn’t walking around with a perpetual frown. As Cavill says, “There’s a lot of justice to be done for Superman.”
After Shazam, even though it didn’t make huge Marvel numbers, I feel it really showed that there is an appeal and need for those types of heroes on the big screen. Just the ending scene, when Shazam invites Superman to lunch in order to help a kid feel better, is probably the most Superman thing to happen in the DCEU. If Cavill comes back, that’s the Superman we want.
Keep the frowns for the Snyder Cut.
(via Variety, image: warner bros/dc comics)
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