It’s no secret that I love Henry Cavill as Superman. I thought the British actor was perfect in Man of Steel and in his subsequent appearances in Batman v Superman and Justice League. Unfortunately, there’s no timetable for him to return to the role, at least not as far as we know. And Warner Bros. seems ready to move on with a pair of takes that involve Black versions of the Kryptonian, and even a Supergirl played by Sasha Calle.
But Cavill believes he’s still got more left to do as Superman, telling THR…
“There is still a lot of storytelling for me to do as a Superman, and I would absolutely love the opportunity.The killing of Zod [in ‘Man of Steel’] gave a reason for the character never to kill again. Superman falling to the ground and screaming afterward — I don’t think that was originally in the script, but I wanted to show the pain he had. I did far more emotional takes they didn’t choose; tears were happening. He just killed the last remaining member of his species. That’s the choice he made in that moment, and he’ll never do that again. There’s an opportunity for growth after that, to explore the psyche of Superman as a deep, seemingly invulnerable god-like being but with real feeling on the inside. As I always say, ‘The cape is still in the closet.’”
So while Cavill is definitely into finishing his run as Clark Kent, he thinks having multiple versions is the right thing for right now…
“It’s exciting — Superman’s far more than skin color. Superman is an ideal. Superman’s an extraordinary thing that lives within our hearts. Why not have multiple Supermen going on? Joaquin Phoenix did a wonderful Joker movie; so what if it’s not tied to the rest of [the franchise]? They have multiple Superman comic book storylines happening at the same time.”
Meanwhile, Cavill is open to the idea of playing other comic book heroes, perhaps even for the Marvelous competition. If you were to ask me who he’d be perfect for, it’s exactly the character Cavill talks about here. Good to know that he and I are on a similar wavelength…
“I’m never going to say a Marvel character that is already being played by someone else, because everyone’s doing such an amazing job. However, I have the internet and I have seen the various rumors about Captain Britain and that would be loads of fun to do a cool, modernized version of that — like the way they modernized Captain America. There’s something fun about that, and I do love being British.”
Um, yes please. He’s powerful, British, and can fit in both the superhero world and the world of espionage as he was a member of MI13. His partner on that team? Dane Whitman aka the Black Knight, recently seen in Eternals played by Kit Harington. A rumor once had them teaming up for a movie, and who knows? Maybe it can happen. Whatever does, I can’t think of a better fit for the guy who has starred in both Man of Steel and The Man from UNCLE.
Cavill will be seen next reprising his role as Geralt of Rivera in The Witcher season 2 beginning December 17th on Netflix.