Announced to be in development months ago, new updates have come out about Man of Steel 2 to help clarify its status at DC Studios. Henry Cavill officially returned to the DC Universe this year after being absent from the franchise since 2017. While brief, Cavill’s Superman appeared during the Black Adam post-credits scene where he shared a brief encounter with Dwayne Johnson’s anti-hero. Not long after the film’s release, Man of Steel 2 was put in early development.
However, reports about the next Superman film have now been put into question following new claims that DC Studios is making a significant overhaul to the DCU. Deadline has followed up with more details on what’s going on with Man of Steel 2. Before James Gunn and Peter Safran were tapped to lead DC Studios, Warner Bros. Pictures’ Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy approved Cavill’s Superman appearance in Black Adam, with the hope of getting him in his own solo film in the coming years. However, Cavill announcing that he was back as Superman was something he did on his own and wasn’t something WBD had planned to do after Black Adam‘s release. This was right before Gunn and Safran’s announcement was made. De Luca and Abdy had, however, received one Man of Steel 2 pitch from an unnamed writer but weren’t happy with it. Man of Steel 2 never received an official green light and didn’t have a director attached, and Warner Bros. is waiting on a better pitch.
What This Means For Henry Cavill’s Superman In The DCU
With Cavill’s Superman back in the franchise, the actor was bombarded with questions about Man of Steel 2, and this report explains why the star was remaining tight-lipped about it when talking to the press. At the same time, The Flash movie director Andy Muschietti was reportedly interested in helming Man of Steel 2 and using a similar approach as Christopher Reeve’s Superman films. It’s unclear whether or not Muschietti wanting to direct Cavill’s sequel was ever true.
Even though Man of Steel 2 could be an option for DC Studios down the line, this begs the question of what this all means for Cavill’s Superman in the long run. Currently, it’s unclear what is happening with any of the remaining Justice League actors, as Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman 3 has, for now, been scrapped as the studio didn’t like Patty Jenkins’ submitted treatment for the threequel. Jason Momoa’s Aquaman franchise is reportedly not expected to get a follow-up after his 2023 sequel, and no one knows what will happen with Ezra Miller after The Flash movie comes out. That’s why it’s impossible to know what Cavill’s Superman will do in the DCU, along with his fellow Justice League cast members.
If Man of Steel 2 isn’t the approach for them, they may have Cavill return as Superman in other DCU films. A recent report has stated that DC Studios is not planning on recasting any Justice League actors, but that has yet to be confirmed by the DCU leaders Gunn and Safran themselves. If it’s true that they are actually getting ready to present their 10-year plan for the DCU to Warner Bros. Discovery very soon, time will tell if Man of Steel 2 is part of that or not.
Source: Deadline