Following Ben Affleck’s exit from the DCEU as Batman, there’s been a lot of speculation as to whether or not Henry Cavill will continue on as the Man of Steel. What Warner Bros. may be planning is anyone’s guess, but in a new interview with Patrick Stewart, the British actor confirmed that he’s still heavily invested in the role and would be happy to continue playing Superman if the studio needed him.
“I’ve always been a fan of Superman,” said Cavill. “With a character like that, you carry the mantle with you off set. And it becomes part of your public representation. When you meet children, children don’t necessarily see me as Henry Cavill, but they might see Superman, and there’s a responsibility which comes with that. Because it’s such a wonderful character, it’s actually a responsibility I’m happy to have, and I hope that I get to play more of Superman in years to come.”
“He’s so good, he’s so kind, and when you start to compare yourself to him, because you’re playing him, you start to really look inwards,” the actor added. “You say, ‘Am I a good person? Can I be a good enough person to play Superman?’ And if you ever hear a whisper in there which is like, ‘Hmm, hold on a second. Maybe not,” then you adjust it, and you make sure you are a better person. I think that’s all we can do in life.”
J.J. Abrams, who recently directed Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, has reportedly been in talks with Warner Bros. about a potential Man of Steel sequel. While story details are sparse (many fans seem to think it’ll involve one of Superman’s chief villains, Brainiac), Cavill returning to star seems pretty likely in light of Variety’s report.
Cavill also had a few things to say about Zack Snyder’s new cut of Justice League, which will premiere exclusively on WarnerMedia’s new streaming service, HBO Max.
“Oh the Snyder Cut, the famous-slash-infamous-slash-all-sorts-of-things Snyder Cut,” Cavill said. “I can’t really tell you anything aside from the fact that all I know is that HBO Max will be releasing it, I believe, and it’ll be Zack’s final vision for the movie, and I don’t know anything more than that.
“I’m just really happy that Zack got to realize his vision,” Cavill continued. “I think it’s important for a filmmaker and a storyteller to have their intended vision released and shown to the world, and I’m looking forward to seeing it myself. It’s been quite the ordeal.”
“With ‘Justice League’ when it came, there was a mix of visions and the movie wasn’t well received. And then over the subsequent years, there was a big push to see the fabled Snyder Cut. And now that time has come, and I think it’s going to be very enjoyable to watch Zack finally release his version.”