Last week, reports of Henry Cavill possibly vacating his role as Superman lit the internet ablaze, and have remained a hot topic for discussion in the geek community. Though none of us are necessarily expecting a Justice League 2 anytime soon, the loss of an actor who’s portrayed such an iconic character for three films would deal quite a blow to a shared universe – even if it’s supposedly getting less connected as time passes.
As such, fans and pundits alike are pondering the future of DC-based movies. Compounding the above topic with all of the hoopla surrounding Ben Affleck’s situation means two of the most recognizable superheroes in all of pop culture could soon be recast, a prospect that portends a greatly altered landscape for this brand.
Adding to this is a somewhat overlooked detail in The Hollywood Reporter’s piece which broke the Cavill story, saying that “Another source says Warners is trying to hit a ‘reset’ button with the DC universe, steering its ship slowly into another direction.”
Exactly what that means is open to interpretation, though I surmise most are thinking Warner Bros. are intending on completely rebooting. To me, though, it just means less interconnectivity between DC pictures from here on out. After all, if Gal Gadot is killing it as Wonder Woman and if indeed Jason Momoa proves to be a smash as Aquaman, then it’d make very little sense to scrap what they’ve established in their respective solo outings.
Going forward, I imagine that the Powers That Be will allow for Matt Reeves to recast Batman if he feels inclined to, not to mention other filmmakers not being painted into a corner in a creative sense. Plus, the fact that Todd Phillips’ Joker movie looks so different from what Jared Leto’s iteration accomplished (thank goodness) and rumors of the gestating Supergirl project taking place in the 1970’s only serve as further evidence of WB and DC leaving the Marvel Model in the rear-view mirror, which is probably a good call at this stage.
