While there are open questions regarding whether Henry Cavill will continue in the role of Superman for the DCEU, he is keeping busy with a string of future movies, including a reboot of Highlander. According to Giant Freakin Robot, The 38-year-old may now be joining another long-awaited title, in this case romantic comedy The Rosie Project. An adaptation of the novel of the same name by Graeme Simsion, the film has been floating around Hollywood for some time.
The story from Giant Freakin Robot has this to say about what audiences can expect from Cavill’s performance:
Henry Cavill will play Don Tillman, a genetics professor who has never been on a second date, but who now aims to fall in love. Tillman has Asperger’s syndrome (now referred to as autism spectrum disorder). The professor knows exactly what he’s looking for–everything that the bartender Rosie is not. She’s wild, chaotic, and carefree. The opposite of Don Tillman. The pair link up when she needs help finding her birth father and aims to take advantage of Don Tillman’s skills with genetics research. Naturally, the pair of opposites fall in love.
The book first came out in 2013, and was successful enough to produce two sequels in 2014 and 2019. Sony optioned the filming rights back in 2014, and various efforts were made to get the picture off the ground. Among those linked to the feature were Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, Jennifer Lawrence, and Richard Linklater. However, the departure of Lawrence and Linklater put things on hold, before talk of Ryan Reynolds taking over as lead actor surfaced in 2016.
Since then, there haven’t been many updates on The Rosie Project, aside from a possible director in Sex Education‘s Ben Taylor. If true, Cavill would be an intriguing choice to play Tillman, although he has some form with less traditionally heroic characters via his turns as Clark Kent. As well as starring in the second season of The Witcher, Cavill has been named in multiple reports of new parts and franchises, including a potential spy series with John Cena.
Given how long The Rosie Project has been in-development at Sony, we wouldn’t expect it to be confirmed by the studio anytime soon, especially with Cavill’s crowded production schedule. Still, the character seems to provide an opportunity for him to flex his comedic talents, something that he’s been displaying with his dry humour in The Witcher, and the fleeting glimpses of his Sherlock Holmes in Enola Holmes.
