Shazam first released in 2019, and the fans loved it. Even the critics were in favor of it, and labeled the movie to be an “amicable action movie with a tint of humor”. Well, that is true, the humor put the movie on a different pedestal. The film was a critical success and held its own at the box office, raising speculation about what the sequel may hold. The movie revolves around the adventures of Billy Batson and his adoptive family, imbued with the magical powers of the wizard Shazam.
What’s surprising is, that Shazam had to offer Henry Cavill’s Superman cameo, but in Shazam: Fury of the God, the sequel, will not feature Henry Cavil reprising his role as Superman. Director David F. Sandberg confirmed Cavill was originally supposed to shoot that cameo but bowed out before the film was completed. A bevy of recent rumors has suggested the Man of Steel might make an appearance in the Shazam! the sequel, which is currently due to be released in 2023.
According to Variety, Cavill will not be returning to the role for Shazam 2, and it’s still an open question if the actor will return to the cape and tights at all in the future. Cavill first took on the role in 2013’s Man Of Steel, the first entry in the DCEU. He reprised the role in Zack Snyder’s polarizing Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice and Joss Whedon’s ill-fated cut of Justice League. But the future of Superman on the big screen remains uncertain. Cavill’s Superman was installed several regimes ago, with the more recent DC Films brass gravitating toward more earnest, hopeful iterations of their main heroes; Cavill’s moody, morally complex Superman now seems wholly out of step with what the studio is trying to do with its comic book properties.
We are not saying that Henry Cavill will not reprise his role as Superman. We are yet to see him play Superman in Snyder’s 4-hour cut of Justice League coming to HBO Mac and theatres in March, and of course, alongside Ben Affleck’s Batman. Affleck’s future with the DCEU also seems to be winding down, as the actor will reportedly make one last appearance as the Dark Knight in The Flash before likely leaving the role behind. It’s not as cut and dry with Cavill, who still claims to be enthusiastic about making more Superman films, yet at the same time, he may understandably have little interest in small time cameos when the studio isn’t even sure the next Superman film will feature him in the role.
Cavill’s Superman has a lot of fans who would likely be thrilled over even a cameo these days, but it wasn’t meant to be for Shazam: Fury Of The Gods. But his appearance in Snyder’s Justice League is confirmed, and we may also see him in other projects.
Most of it is under the sheets by WB and DC, so let us where Cavill as Superman goes from here.
