Over the past few days, a slew of rumours regarding the future of several DCEU pillars have been making the rounds. Perhaps most devastating was the cancellation of Flashpoint, an adaptation of the Geoff Johns-penned five-part comic book miniseries.
Rooted in an alternate DC Universe where Thomas Wayne is Batman, Superman is being held captive as a lab rat by the US government, and Cyborg is the world’s quintessential hero, it would have made for a fantastic film. Evidently, though, the studio has decided to “cut their losses” and make a solo Flash pic instead.
Unfortunately, the hearsay is believed to coincide with the departure of Ben Affleck from his role as Bruce Wayne/Batman. A source close to the studio, who typically “errs on the side of caution,” referred to the two-time Academy Award winner’s time as the Caped Crusader as “toast,” “gone” and “done.”
While things certainly aren’t looking up for the DCEU then, at least momentarily, it hasn’t been all negative. Yesterday on the El Fanboy Podcast, Mario-Francisco Robles, Revenge of the Fans‘ Editor-In-Chief, disclosed that his “friends inside the studio” claim “Warner Bros. is eager to get Man of Steel 2 off the ground and is targeting a 2020 release.”
There’ve also been reports that Henry Cavill’s Kal-El is “going to become the glue of the DCEU,” which Robles corroborated earlier today, relaying info from his sources, who confirmed that “there absolutely is” truth to that rumor, as WB’s eager to start shifting their cinematic universe to revolve around the iconic hero.
Supposedly, Robles’ sources have “been hearing about all kinds of big plans for Superman,” including cameos and a “proper sequel” to Man of Steel, which, as we said above, will reportedly hit theaters in 2020. As such, WB is currently meeting with directors, with Cavill having a say in who ultimately gets the job – which certainly bodes well for Christopher McQuarrie.
The Mission: Impossible – Fallout director has gone on the record as “open” to helming Man of Steel 2, and perhaps Henry Cavill’s sway on the matter will be enough to hand McQuarrie the job finally. After all, the two did discuss the project, at length, while filming the sixth installment of the Mission: Impossible series. With any luck, they’ll be able to reunite for the aforementioned sequel and give us a truly fantastic Superman solo film.
