It's a bird! It's a plane! It's the end of an era!
Henry Cavill is parting ways with Warner Bros., sources told The Hollywood Reporter Wednesday. E! News has reached out to Cavill's rep for additional comment on the report. Perhaps things could change? In a statement to E! News, a Warner Bros. spokesperson said, "While no decisions have been made regarding any upcoming Superman films, we've always had great respect for and a great relationship with Henry Cavill, and that remains unchanged."
Cavill's manager, Dany Garcia, previously responded to the news on Twitter, writing, "Be peaceful, the cape is still in his closet." Leaving the door open for a return, she added that Warner Bros. "has been and continues to be our partners as they evolve the DC Universe."
The actor first played Superman in 2013's Man of Steel, reprising his role in 2016's Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice and in 2017's Justice League. According to the trade, Warner Bros. had been trying to convince Cavill to make a cameo in Shazam!, starring Zachary Levi, but negotiations between Cavill's reps and the studio fell apart—and now he's hanging up his cape.
A Warner Bros. source says the Shazam! deal fell apart due to scheduling conflicts, as Cavill recently signed on to star in the Netflix series The Witcher. The studio source also said executives recognized "that some parts of the previous movies didn't work," and Warner Bros. is trying to hit a "reset" button within the DC Extended Universe that can rival Marvel Studios.
Warner Bros. is now focusing on a Supergirl origin story, The Hollywood Reporter said, and Ezra Miller's Flash standalone will begin filming in early 2019. Furthermore, the studio isn't planning to make another solo movie centered around the son of Krypton for several years. "Superman is like James Bond," a studio source says, "and after a certain run you have to look at new actors."
(Similarly, it's unlikely Ben Affleck will reprise his leading role in Matt Reeves' Batman film.)
Cavill has not commented on the news via his Instagram.
The 35-year-old actor particularly enjoyed working with A-list co-stars like Amy Adams (Lois Lane), Ray Fisher (Cyborg), Gal Gadot (Wonder Woman), and Jason Momoa (Aquaman) in Justice League—especially since the film resurrected Superman. "They are incredible people—amazing actors—and they've put so much work into these characters, that it shows onscreen," Cavill told E! News. "They have made them unique, interesting, flawed, amazing personalities."