Henry Cavill Reportedly in Talks to Return as Superman -- But Not for Man of Steel Sequel

In a head-scratching bit of news, Henry Cavill is reportedly in negotiations to return to his role as Superman for Warner Bros. after a three year absence ... but not for a "Man of Steel" sequel.

Nor would he appear in either the upcoming "Wonder Woman 1984" or "Suicide Squad" sequels, as both have finished production.

Of course, that didn't stop Warner Bros. from having Cavill back for reshoots on "Justice League," even going so far as to *shudder* CGI out the mustache he was contractually obligated to keep for a different film he was shooting at the same time -- the less said about that the better!

Warner Bros. has no known plans for a sequel for "Man of Steel" sequel and there are no indications that Superman would make any appearance in the reboot film "The Batman." So what exactly  would he be signing on for?

There is the "Shazam" sequel (or even The Rock's "Black Adam" spinoff), which could have fun pitting the two similar characters together. There was even a tease of Superman appearing to Billy Batson at the close of "Shazam," setting up a perfect opportunity for the sequel. This is the most likely move, but is it the move?

How about the upcoming sequel to "Aquaman"? Unlike Robert Pattinson's Batman, Cavill and Jason Momoa's Aquaman have already shared the screen together, so this is another possiblity. Or maybe we'll get a Flash/Superman race on the silver screen!

Deadline had the scoop on the reported talks between Cavill and Warner Bros., but they had no details as to what it could be about. There could even perhaps be a reboot of Superman itself, with an eye toward an older more established Superman, perhaps with a family of his own?

That would put it more in line with both his comic book portrayal, where he is married to Lois Lane and shares a teenage son, or even the upcoming CW series which features Lois and Clark together raising their kids together.

Reaching even further down the path of speculation, is it at all possible that Cavill is being tapped to return for the upcoming "Snyder cut" of the aforementioned "Justice League." The upcoming HBO Max project is looking at a costly development to finalize Snyder's vision of the film, so could that possibly mean additional reshoots?

Warner Bros. has already effectively ditched the idea of aping Marvel's successful "Cinematic Universe" formula after the disappointing returns and reviews of several entries, including some of Cavill's work.

But with Aquaman and Wonder Woman still in active development as solo series, perhaps they aren't quite ready to let go of the man everyone most associates with the Man of Steel. Despite the lukewarm receptions to most of Cavill's films as the character, fans seem to enjoy Cavill himself in the role.

Plus, it's hard to imagine an ongoing slate of DC films -- connected or not -- without the presence of the superhero that is inarguably at the center of that universe (yes, Batman fans, we said inarguably and stand by it!).

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