Ever since the release of Justice League, the future of the so-called DC Extended Universe has been plagued by question marks. Movies have been announced almost every other month, but few actually seem to be gaining any sort of traction. For example, a year ago, a solo movie starring Cyborg was on Warner Bros.' superhero schedule. However, Victor Stone actor Ray Fisher has recently indicated the movie likely won't happen after all due to budget restrictions. The bottom line is, outside of the movies Warner Bros. already has in production, Aquaman, Shazam! and Wonder Woman 1984, there's very little that is concrete about the DCEU heading into 2020.
While director Matt Reeves is writing and directing a Batman solo film, there have been increasing rumors that Ben Affleck will not return to the role of the Caped Crusader. According to reports, Reeve's Batman will be set in the past and feature a younger Bruce Wayne fighting crime in his prime. While nothing has been officially announced, it's been widely assumed that Affleck is now done with the role of Batman, with rumors and reports constantly beating the drum about who Warner Bros. is talking with to take over as the next Dark Knight.
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Throughout the increasing uncertainty, there were still a few things that fans still considered as a lock... like the presence of Henry Cavill's Superman. However, one of the most important pillars of the DCEU was apparently knocked down when it was reported that Cavill and Warner Bros. had reached an impasse in negotiating the actor's future appearances as the Last Son of Krypton, talks that ended with Cavill walking away from the role. This is a crushing blow for fans of the DCEU, who have had to watch as DC's cinematic universe apparently crumbles from all sides. Losing Batman was bad, for sure. But losing Superman is much, much worse.
Superman is not only one of the most important characters in DC's pantheon of superheroes, he's a fan-favorite that constitutes one-third of the DC Trinity, a fact even more important in cinematic universe than in the comics. In the DCEU, Cavill's Superman wasn't just one of the main pillars — he was the entire foundation. After all, the DCEU was born in 2013 with the release of Man of Steel and further established the cinematic universe in the sequel Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, a film that ended with Clark Kent making the ultimate sacrifice to save mankind. The events of that film would have repercussions that would be felt in Suicide Squad, and while Justice League was a team effort, much of the story of the film was centered around bringing Superman back to life.
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Out of the five DCEU-based films, Superman had an important presence in or effect on four of them; the solo Wonder Woman the only one that wasn’t driven by the Man of Steel. Virtually the entire universe lives and breathes with the character, and his departure is sure to leave a major vacuum. As we saw from the trailer, even the upcoming Shazam! will rely on Superman's existence, as Billy Batson bases his idea of a superhero on the Man of Steel. Justice League went a long way in instilling the idea that Superman was a beacon to everyone, a source of hope who can inspire a young kid to become a superhero, or an exiled king from returning to the ocean. He's the center of everything superheroic, and he had only begun to embrace his role as humanity's protector.
Yes, the loss of Ben Affleck's Batman would be difficult for the DCEU to deal with, but it's something DC's movies would recover from. After all, with six actors tackling the role in the modern era, audiences have become used to seeing new faces bringing Bruce Wayne to life... but there haven't been that many theatrical takes on Superman. The Cavill-led reboot was meant to be the springboard to an entire world of superheroes, and his departure changes everything.
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It's been five years since fans -- and even Cavill himself -- expected Man of Steel 2 to be announced. But while the movie was never given the green light, Superman appeared in other films, the main connective tissue that tied the universe together. Now, however, we're missing out on an appearance in Shazam! and a possible confrontation with Dwayne Johnson's Black Adam. Without Cavill, the tapestry of the DCEU is altered, and it is much lesser for it. To an extent, it has lost its heart.
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Superman was only just becoming the character comic book fans wanted him to be, and Cavill was as passionate as ever in getting the character right on the big screen. The actor has always been the perfect choice for the role, and he should be allowed to show how he can become the quintessential Superman -- not just with his physicality, but with his charm, his humor and his charisma.
Thankfully, as we look up in the sky, there is still a bit of hope. Wednesday night, Henry Cavill posted a cryptic video that might mean the reports of him leaving the role of Superman aren't exactly true, a theory bolstered by another new rumor that the entire Warner Bros./Cavill story was staged. Hopefully, the initial report was wrong, and Cavill isn't done with Superman. The future of the entire DCEU may literally depends on it.
Matt Reeves’ Batman solo film still does not have a production start date, nor does it have an official cast or release date. The film is expected to arrive sometime in 2020 at the earliest. Next up on the DCEU docket is James Wan’s Aquaman, which is slated for release Dec. 21, David F. Sandberg’s Shazam!, which hits theaters April 5, 2019 and Patty Jenkins’ Wonder Woman 1984, which drops Nov. 1, 2019.