At the end of October 2022, Henry Cavill announced his return as Superman after leaving “The Witcher”. Just a few days later, Peter Safran and “Guardians of the Galaxy” director James Gunn took over the helm at DC as co-CEOs. And already in December, after a meeting with the new bosses, Cavill announced his departure from the project. Gunn, who like Kevin Feige oversees the creative side of the business at competitor Marvel, announced the next Superman film will explore an early phase in the hero’s life. However, the first film with the new actor should not be an origin story. Similar to the latest Batman film with Robert Pattinson, Clark is said to be young but already active as a superhero.
How young exactly, Gunn did not disclose. So maybe the new cast isn’t necessarily a teenager like in Smallville, for example, but simply a fresh face who can be committed to several films at the same time in a future-oriented manner. After all, Cavill is anything but old at 39, but it’s still harder to imagine a real reboot in which he appears as a newly minted superhero than with a colleague who hasn’t starred in the role yet. Unfortunately, Nicolas Cage no longer fits the requirements profile.
One can only speculate at this point as to whether Gunn initially preferred a recast, or whether he originally planned to continue with Cavill and a different basic idea. The only thing that is clear is that at some point he must have decided that a complete cold start was the most sensible strategy for the future of the franchise.
Who catches Superman?
Source: Warner Bros.
What that will look like in concrete terms and who will ultimately follow in Cavill’s footsteps is still in the stars. Of course, there are already numerous preferred candidates circulating on the Internet who are supposed to take over an inheritance.
Of course, we also thought about who of the young men in Hollywood could be the next lightning bolt. By the way: The casting of the new Superman is apparently happening independently of the other Superman reboot that is currently being developed at DC. Produced by JJ Abrams and written by writer and journalist Ta-Nehisi Coates, another Superman adventure starring a black protagonist is set to emerge. Whether and when this will see the light of day is uncertain. The project, which is currently still in active development, may also be canceled or merged with Gunn’s version. For now though, it looks like we’re actually getting two independent supermen. With our suggestions, which are also based on the favorites on the net, we refer exclusively to the film by Gunn, not by Coates and Abrams.
1. Jacob Elordi
Jacob Elordi in “Deep Water”
Source: Hulu
Jacob Elordi is considered one of the top favorites for the role, at least on the internet. rumors that 25 year old was already on the verge of a commitment, were even so loud that James Gunn felt compelled to deny it on Twitter for the time being. But the young man is not out of the race because of that.
Elordi is best known for starring in the Netflix teen film series Kissing Booth and HBO’s critic darling Euphoria. He was also seen opposite Ana de Armas and Ben Affleck in the non-erotic erotic thriller Deep Water. Largely because of his huge popularity with young audiences and his impressive physique (muscular and almost 1.96 meters tall), the Australian seems to fit the role perfectly. Elordi could also benefit from his experience with RomComs when portraying Clark Kent. After all, the film should also deal with his beginnings at the Daily Planet. And as is well known, a certain reporter works there who will take the supposed clumsy to her heart…
What speaks against Elordi is his lack of experience with big blockbuster films in the action genre and as a classic leading man. And while the direct comparison with its predecessor before seeing the film is of course inappropriate, it would certainly be easier for an established star to console fans about the loss of Cavill. However, should it really come to a conversation with Warner, we reckon the giant has a chance.
