Henry Cavill to return as Superman in a Man of Steel sequel. Everyone, thank The Rock.

As the latest addition to the DCEU, Black Adam is set to hit theatres this Friday, the talk of the town hints at a Man of Steel sequel with Henry Cavill set to reprise his role as the son of Krypton.

The 39-year-old British actor first donned the red cape in Zack Snyder’s 2013 blockbuster Man of Steel, officially kick-starting the DCEU as we know it. Though the film didn’t do well with the critics, it has risen to a cult status amongst fans, many granting it the status of the finest film the DCEU has had to offer thus far.

Last seen on screen in 2017’s Justice League, Cavill’s Superman fell of the radar following the film bombing amongst critics. In the five years since, a variety of different campaigns and pleas from fans have been desperate to bring the star back to the big screen, reprising his role.

The Warner Brothers-helmed DC Extended Universe or the DCEU, a direct competitor to its Marvel Comics counterpart, has its latest heavy-hitting title to add to its evolving cinematic universe with Black Adam.

Black Adam, the latest hunk added to the DCEU’s super roster, is an anti-hero figure bestowed with the powers of the Egyptian gods who has returned after being entombed for 5,000 years to serve justice as he deems fit. And who better than the closest physical embodiment to an actual superhero to play the character than ‘The Rock’, Dwayne Johnson himself. Here's the trailer for the film,

With a steady decline in the responses from recent DCEU releases and the recent cancellation of the much-awaited DC Fandome 2022, a lot hinges on the success of Black Adam and subsequent DCEU releases.

As Black Adam is all set to hit world theatres this Friday, DC Films President Walter Hamada prepares his exit from the studios. These recent developments, alongside the recent Warner Bros merger with Discovery has opened up an assortment of exciting opportunities for the future of the DCEU.

Prior to his departure, Hamada vetoed the inclusion of Cavill in Black Adam through a series of reshoots earlier this year. He was insistent on getting the DCEU to redirect itself in newer directions rather than offer a single director (in this case Zack Snyder) an inordinate amount of influence and had planned his own Superman project helmed by Ta-Nehisi Coates and included a black Superman.

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson himself, had been particularly vocal about Cavill’s reprisal; most of his Black Adam press junkets involving subtle hints at a cameo, which all but gave away Cavill’s comeback. 

Following Hamada’s negation, Johnson went straight up to Warner Bros executives Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy in order to get past the rejection. 

Rumours suggest De Luca currently serves as the de-facto head of the DCEU division, his extensive command over deep DC comic lore is in all likelihood the driving factor of the same. Meanwhile, Johnson’s influence in the DC inner-circles is ever-increasing as his judgements may lend a hand in deciding a future permanent head at the film division. 

De Luca and Abdy are currently in the process of scouting writers for the Charles Roven produced Man of Steel sequel. Christopher McQuarrie of Mission Impossible fame is reportedly one of the many names in consideration. 

A Superman-Black Adam crossover film has also been suggested by Johnson as he did his rounds for Black Adam press. 

For now, a scene that has reportedly been shot in mid-September, has made it to the film after the Warner Bros thumb-up. Does this mean we will be graced with Cavill’s presence on-screen once more? 

Find out, as Black Adam hits theatres near you on October 21, 2022.