It might sound harsh, but Henry Cavill’s accomplishments read much better on paper than they do in practice. Of course, the 37 year-old is a big name in Hollywood and plays the lead role in one of the most popular shows on television, but there’s a well-founded argument to be made that he hasn’t cracked the A-list in the way people were expecting him to a decade ago.
Having missed out on the chance to portray James Bond after making it to the final two contenders for Casino Royale before losing out to Daniel Craig, Cavill was also overlooked when Superman: Flyby morphed into Superman Returns and Brandon Routh was cast as the Big Blue Boy Scout. The Englishman did eventually go on to headline the highest-grossing Superman movie ever, but he never got a sequel and by all accounts, it looks as though he’s being replaced for J.J. Abrams’ reboot.
He also became the latest in a long line of names to play Sherlock Holmes in one of Netflix’s most-watched original movies ever, but his performance saw the streamer get sued by the estate of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The Man From U.N.C.L.E., The Cold Light of Day and Night Hunter, meanwhile, all bombed, but at least there’s always Mission: Impossible – Fallout, which was an unqualified success.
Whether the actor will ever suit up as the Man of Steel again remains to be seen, but insider Daniel Richtman is now claiming that Cavill reached out to Marvel Studios after the Superman news broke to discuss a role, although the tipster doesn’t offer any additional information. Of course, we’ve heard plenty of rumors and speculation already that he could be jumping ship to portray any number of characters for DC’s great rivals, with Captain Britain frequently mentioned, and it would admittedly be a hilarious flip of the bird to Warner Bros. if he headed straight for the MCU as Abrams’ Superman gathers momentum.
