THINGS are changing among the big-screen DC superheroes.
In October, Guardians of the Galaxy and The Suicide Squad director James Gunn and producer Peter Safran were announced as the new co-CEOs of DC Studios at Warner Bros. With the new leadership has come startling changes and announcements about the future of the franchises.
One of the announcements which shocked fans was that Henry Cavill would no longer be returning as Superman. The actor had a much-hyped cameo in October’s Black Adam. Shortly afterwards, Cavill announced that he was leaving the Netflix series The Witcher in order to return to the DCEU.
However, Gunn revealed that his team was moving forward with a movie about the “earlier part” of the character’s life and therefore he “will not be played by Henry Cavill.”
Cavill later announced that he would instead be working with girlfriend Natalie Viscuso on an adaptation of cult fantasy tabletop game Warhammer 40,000, of which he is a massive fan.
Also apparently out of the DCEU was director Patty Jenkins, who was told that her planned third Wonder Woman film would no longer go ahead. Wonder Woman actress Gal Gadot still appears to be attached to the role, and said in an Instagram post that she “can’t wait to share her next chapter” of the character.
These developments were likely a factor in the announcement that both Superman and Wonder Woman’s cameos would be cut from The Flash, which is still set to debut in 2023, despite the legal woes of star Ezra Miller.
It was also revealed that Ben Affleck’s Batman will still retain his cameo in The Flash, but that it would be his last appearance as the Dark Knight. Gunn indicated that Affleck would be directing a film within the DCEU instead.
There were also unconfirmed reports that a planned sequel to Black Adam had been scrapped, and that Jason Momoa would leave the role of Aquaman and be recast as Lobo.
With so many changes revealed over the span of a few days, fans can do nothing but hope for the best for the embattled franchise.
