Dwayne Johnson Reveals Warner Bros. Didn’t Want Henry Cavill To Return As Superman

This week was pretty rough for British actor Henry Cavill. After announcing his official return as Superman back in October and a cameo in Dwayne Johnson‘s “Black Adam,” it now appears Cavill as Superman is no longer part of the DCU‘s long-term plans.

Amazon Studios has made it official, confirming that it has secured global rights to the Warhammer 40,000 game from Games Workshop for Henry Cavill (Man of Steel) to star in and executive produce the Warhammer 40,000 franchise across all Amazon Studios productions. The agreement encompasses rights to the universe across TV series, film, and likely games and animation.

Henry Cavill is evaluating his options following him stepping down as Superman as the DC character is being rebooted by the new regime. According to sources, he is exploring multiple opportunities as he is fielding overtures for film and TV projects. One of them, which is in a more advanced stages, is believed to be Warhammer 40,000 at Amazon Studios. Details are murky, but I hear that the deal, which is still being negotiated, would involve Cavill headlining a sci-fi TV series based on the game.

Shortly after Henry Cavill confirmed Wednesday night that he “will, after all, not be returning as Superman,” Liam Hemsworth’s name started trending on Twitter, with The Witcher fans calling for Cavill’s return to the Netflix series.

EXCLUSIVE: Black Adam breakout Sarah Shahi is set to executive produce and star in the Christmas film The Hollys with 17 Again helmer Burr Steers attached to direct. The film, co-written by Floriana Lima, Yolanda Pecoraro, and Ilaria Urbinati, will be produced by Denise Di Novi and Margaret French Isaac of Di Novi Pictures.  The package is just starting to go out to financiers.

Following James Gunn and Peter Safran’s announcement Wednesday that they’ve decided to reboot Superman without Henry Cavill’s involvement, Cavill said in a statement of his own that it is “sad news,” but that he wishes “all involved with the new universe the best of luck, and the happiest of fortunes.“I just had a meeting with James Gunn andn Peter Safran and it’s sad news, everyone. I will, after all, not be returning as Superman. After being told by the studio to announce my return back in October, prior to their hire, this news isn’t the easiest, but that’s life.

Changing their mind. Henry Cavill will no longer portray Superman in the DC movie universe — despite previously announcing that he’d be returning to the role. 

Moments after James Gunn informed that he’s penning a new Superman, set in the Man of Steel’s younger days, and that Henry Cavill won’t be playing him; the latter has also confirmed the news on Instagram.

Effective tonight, DC bosses Peter Safran and James Gunn have officially made known their plans for their first movie under their regime: It’s Superman, a script that the latter is currently writing about the Man of Steel’s early days. It’s not an origins story. However, a new actor will be sought to play Superman.

Wow, so DC Studios co-chief James Gunn wasn’t kidding when he said he said some of the decisions surrounding the DC Universe would be tough and difficult, and not everyone would like them. In an Instagram post tonight, Henry Cavill, the would-be Superman—who told the world he was returning to the character in October— revealed that he finally met with Gunn and DC Studios co-chief Peter Safran and said he would not be returning to the Superman role.

EXCLUSIVE: Johnny Knoxville (Reboot), Mo Amer (Mo) and Kate Upton (The Layover) will topline the indie comedy Sweet Dreams, from writer-director Lije Sarki. Additional cast set for the pic includes actor-comedians Bobby Lee (Reservation Dogs), Theo Von and Jay Mohr (The Cleaning Lady), as well as Dave‘s GaTa.

DC Studios co-head James Gunn is back on Twitter replying to fans and this time he is talking about Superman. The tweets come after news broke that Patty Jenkin’s version of Wonder Woman 3 was not moving forward and that Henry Cavill’s reprisal of the Man of Steel might not be happening.

It’s been a deeply turbulent week for DC fans of late. After news broke of some potentially drastic changes—a potential reboot of the entire Universe, which could include recasting of major characters—all kinds of details and ramifications started surfacing, including the news that Patty Jenkins’ “Wonder Woman 3” treatment was nixed by the studio, effectively killing her proposed version of that film (and it sounds like she’s walked away from the franchise entirely, upset that her pitch was rejected).