What’s next for Henry Cavill?

Written by: Fiona Underhill, CC2K Staff Writer

No sooner had I finished writing 10,000 words on Henry Cavill last month and hit “publish” on the final volume of my three-part CAVILL COLOSSUS, then we were overwhelmed by a whole host of exciting Henry Cavill news! So it’s only right that we at CC2K process these revelations and speculate on what is to come for the Superman who is reportedly hanging up his cape.

The Witcher

On September 4th, 2018 we had the news that Cavill is to star in The Witcher series for Netflix. A TV series is a surprising step, but a welcome one in my book. The Tudors (which you can catch up with on Netflix too) is one of the best things he’s done — I ranked it at Number 2 — and allows him to develop a character who will get an arc over time. By the time The Tudors got to its third and fourth seasons, Cavill had explored his character fully and had changed from a young cad into a war-weary soldier-with-a-heart. It is this role, more than any other, that gives me faith that he can adequately fill the role of Geralt in The Witcher, a man who roams ancient lands killing monsters for money.

Cavill’s stoicism also suits this impenetrable character. This is clearly a passion project for Cavill, who has long been an enthusiastic fan of the books and video games and I’m looking forward to seeing him in a role he genuinely cares about. The team behind the show sounds interesting, from show-runner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich, to the writing team she has assembled. I just started reading the books and hope that the show goes beyond the planned eight episodes. Of Cavill, Hissrich has said; “I never forgot Henry’s deeply insightful understanding of Geralt’s strength and brutality and more importantly, his wit and vulnerability. He saw beyond the the human connection that Geralt perpetually needs, even if he denies it, kicking and screaming at every turn. What I saw was Geralt’s heart, in Henry.” I may have something in my eye.

Superman no more?

Then, on September 12th, 2018, came the news, broken by the Hollywood Reporter, that Cavill was parting ways with Warner Bros. This still hasn’t been confirmed by anyone involved. Cavill posted a kryptic (ho ho) video on his Instagram which only fueled speculation. Some believe this story was leaked as part of the on-going hardball that both Warner Bros and Cavill’s agents are playing. On Twitter, one of Cavill’s representatives Dany Garcia said; “Be peaceful, the cape is still in his closet. WB Pictures continues to be our partners as they evolve the DC Universe. Anticipate a WB statement later today.”

I wouldn’t blame him for wanting to leave, at all. As I discussed in part 2 of my Cavill Colossus, I believe both Cavill and the character of Superman have been grossly mishandled by the DCEU and trying to salvage it with a Man of Steel 2 or similar at this stage is like beating a dead horse. I welcome the proposed Supergirl movie, as I loved the 1984 film, but am extremely cautious as to what the DCEU does to her. Both Cavill and Affleck are well shot of it; they both tried their best, but were working within impossible confines. I hope they can both break out and go onto to bigger and better things.

So, what now?

One of the main responses to the news that Cavill was quitting Superman was; “YAS! NOW WE CAN HAVE A MAN FROM UNCLE SEQUEL!” Now, dear readers, nothing would make me happier than seeing Armie Hammer, Cavill and Alicia Vikander squeezed back into their ’60s suits and cars and let loose in exotic locations around the world, but I would probably eat one of my terribly unfashionable hats if it actually happened.

The other role which continues to hang over Cavill involving suits, cars and glamorous locations is of course; BOND. Cavill would snap the arm off of anyone who gave him this opportunity, but it’s not a direction the Bond producers WILL go in or SHOULD go in. If Bond is to survive, they have to go in a more interesting direction with that character (someone like Tilda Swinton or Janelle Monae is probably my choice) and Cavill can make more interesting choices. The Witcher is a great step. This is the one of the best-suited roles he has chosen so far and will definitely challenge him, acting-wise. In the shorter term, we have Nomis, a thriller co-starring Alexandra Daddario and Nathan Fillion, which is closing the LA Film Festival on September 28th 2018. This looks similar to The Cold Light of Day, but I hope it proves a more memorable role for Cavill. I’m feeling hopeful and excited about his career right now.