Following the merger between Warner Bros. and Discovery, David Zaslav, CEO of the newly combined companies, has talked about revitalizing Superman in a shakeup of DC Entertainment.
Superman was last seen on the big screen (barring a faceless cameo in Shazam) in 2017’s Justice League, played by Henry Cavill. Cavill appeared as the Man of Steel again in HBO Max’s director’s cut of the film, Zack Snyder’s Justice League, but is yet to be confirmed for any new appearances in the DCEU. His only standalone appearance in the role was in his debut film, 2013’s Man of Steel, with all subsequent appearances occurring alongside other DC heroes. For a character who is arguably DC’s most iconic, Superman seems to have had some trouble getting off the ground in recent years.
Variety reports that Warner Bros. Discovery are now exploring an overhaul of DC Entertainment and Superman is one of the “top-shelf characters” that David Zaslav wants the company to revisit. According to the report, Zaslav feels that Superman and other major DC characters have been “left to languish and need to be revitalized.” It’s true that DC’s Man of Tomorrow seems to have received little attention from Warner Bros. of late, while the release of next year’s The Flash will see three different actors having played Batman in two years. Both Ben Affleck and Michael Keaton are playing versions of the Dark Knight in that film, following Robert Pattinson’s appearance in The Batman this year.
While Discovery insiders acknowledge the success of recent DC films, such as Aquaman and The Batman, which form part of a positive trend since Walter Hamada became President of DC Films, the general feeling is that DC lacks a cohesive brand strategy. Zaslav has reportedly already started searching for someone to oversee the creative and strategic direction of DC, acting in a similar role to Marvel Studios’ Kevin Feige.
Superman last appeared, played by Henry Cavill, in Zack Snyder’s Justice League. Here is the synopsis:
“In ZACK SNYDER’S JUSTICE LEAGUE, determined to ensure Superman’s (Henry Cavill) ultimate sacrifice was not in vain, Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck) aligns forces with Diana Prince (Gal Gadot) with plans to recruit a team of metahumans to protect the world from an approaching threat of catastrophic proportions. The task proves more difficult than Bruce imagined, as each of the recruits must face the demons of their own pasts to transcend that which has held them back, allowing them to come together, finally forming an unprecedented league of heroes. Now united, Batman (Affleck), Wonder Woman (Gadot), Aquaman (Jason Momoa), Cyborg (Ray Fisher) and The Flash (Ezra Miller) may be too late to save the planet from Steppenwolf, DeSaad and Darkseid and their dreadful intentions.”
Zack Snyder’s Justice League stars Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Gal Gadot, Ezra Miller, Jason Momoa, Ray Fisher, Jeremy Irons, Diane Lane, Connie Nielsen, J.K. Simmons, and Ciarán Hinds.
Both versions of Justice League are available on HBO Max. Stay tuned for all the latest news surrounding the future of Superman and the DCEU, and be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel for more content!
Source: Variety
