Last night James Gunn casually tweeted the shocking news that, just months after it was announced that Henry Cavill’s Superman was back in action, he now... isn’t. The hierarchy of power changing in the DC Universe, however, doesn’t mean one thing some fans are hoping: that the lack of Cavill’s DC return could mean a return to The Witcher.
Just days after Cavill publicly announced his return to the DCU after Black Adam’s post-credit sequence teased his take on the Man of Steel coming back, Netflix dropped a bombshell: the upcoming third season of its fantasy adaptation The Witcher would be Cavill’s final in the title role as Geralt of Rivia. A planned fourth season will see Liam Hemsworth take on the mantle instead.
But now, Superman returns no more. Or, at least, a Superman looking like Henry Cavill. Gunn’s announcement noted that he is currently writing the script for a Superman reboot that will focus on a younger version of Kal-El. So is there a possibility that Netflix could perform a similar about-turn? Don’t get your hopes up. There is no indication that the streamer’s plans for Hemsworth to lead The Witcher season four have been changed by the news of Cavill’s Superman split.
Presumably that is, for now. Obviously it’s still very early days. The Witcher’s third season wrapped in late September, and no doubt work on navigating the franchise’s post-Cavill future is already underway. There might be a possibility he returns somewhere down the line—stranger things have happened, like announcing your return to, and exit from, an iconic role within a month-and-a-half—but for now, Cavill’s well and truly hanging up his swords.
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