Warner Bros. and DC Films have planned on replacing Ben Affleck as Batman and Henry Cavill as Superman since Justice League bombed at the box office back in 2017.
According to Rolling Stone, following Justice League's poor critical reception and underperformance at the worldwide box office, Warner Bros. began looking at ways to take the DC Extended Universe "in a different direction" and away from the vision Zack Snyder had for the universe. The studio also began making plans to replace Affleck and Cavill as their respective DC superheroes. Snyder is responsible for casting Affleck and Cavill as well as Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman, Ezra Miller as The Flash, Jason Momoa as Aquaman, Ray Fisher as Cyborg and Amber Heard as Mera. Cavill has not appeared as the Man of Steel since Justice League (and its 2021 Snyder Cut). Affleck is set to appear in the DCEU as Batman one more time in the upcoming movie, The Flash.
In the years since Justice League, Warner Bros. and DC have begun development on several standalone projects featuring new takes on Batman and Superman. The first to be released was 2022's The Batman. Directed by Matt Reeves and starring Robert Pattinson, The Batman was set in its own universe and centered on a Bruce Wayne in his second year of crimefighting. The film sees Pattinson's Dark Knight contend with the likes of The Penguin, Carmine Falcone and The Riddler while also focusing heavily on the character's romance with Selina Kyle/Catwoman. The Batman was a critical and box office success and currently has multiple spinoff series and a sequel in development.
Henry Cavill is Open to Returning as Superman
Two Superman projects are also still in early development. Ta-Nehisi Coates and J.J. Abrams are working on a Man of Steel film that will focus on a Black version of Clark Kent/Superman while Michael B. Jordan is producing, and potentially starring in, a Val-Zod series for HBO Max. Cavill remains open to reprising his role as the DCEU's Superman in future films. "There is still a lot of storytelling for me to do as a Superman, and I would absolutely love the opportunity," the actor said in Nov. 2021. "As I always say, 'The cape is still in the closet.'" An April 2022 rumor suggested that Coates and Abrams' Superman script could be reworked to include Cavill's Man of Steel if that's the route the creatives and Warner Bros. decide to take on the project. Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav is keen on greenlighting a new Superman project, believing that the character, as well as several top-shelf characters "have been left to languish and need to be revitalized."
Affleck will make one final appearance as the DCEU's Batman in The Flash, which opens in theaters on June 23, 2023.
Source: Rolling Stone