The manbun-sporting Henry Cavill, known for playing Geralt in “The Witcher,” has left the show after a successful run. Despite Netflix’s attempts to assure fans he would stay, he made a quiet exit in the last three episodes of season three. This departure is causing a problem for Netflix as Cavill was the heart of the series, and his passion for the books and games was evident on-screen.
People wonder what Cavill will do next, and some hope he will return as Superman in the DC Universe. However, DC Studios’ James Gunn has stated that his Superman plans don’t involve Cavill. Meanwhile, Gal Gadot, who plays Wonder Woman, seems to have a place in Gunn’s new order. Some fans are frustrated by this apparent inconsistency in the treatment of the actors.
Gadot’s performances since the first Wonder Woman movie have received mixed reviews, but she remains confident about doing Wonder Woman 3 with Gunn. On the other hand, Cavill’s future seems uncertain, and fans are disappointed to see him overshadowed by others’ decisions.
The decision made by Gunn seems unfair and puzzling. Henry Cavill is a talented actor who genuinely loves geeky properties and boasts a massive fanbase. He has millions of followers on Instagram, surpassing even Liam Hemsworth, his successor in The Witcher. So, it’s natural to wonder why he isn’t being given roles in projects he’s passionate about.
After leaving The Witcher, Cavill’s future looks uncertain, with rumors suggesting that he left due to the show’s departure from the source material. Last year, there was hope that he might return as Superman in the DC Universe, especially after his cameo in The Rock’s Black Adam movie. Fans were thrilled, considering him one of the best Supermans since Christopher Reeve.
However, Warner Brothers decided to reboot the superhero universe and appointed Gunn as the head of DC. He introduced a new Superman, David Corenswet, and Lois Lane, Rachel Brosnahan. Cavill’s Superman and Geralt’s character appeared to be sidelined. Now, it remains uncertain where Cavill’s career will take him next.
Similar to Superman, Henry Cavill has his own origin story. When he was 16 and crazy about rugby, he attended Stowe School in Buckinghamshire. It was there that he had a lucky encounter with Russell Crowe, who was filming nearby. Cavill boldly approached Crowe for acting tips, and it seems that advice worked well for him. Two years later, he landed a small role alongside Guy Pearce and Richard Harris in The Count Of Monte Cristo, which marked the beginning of his breakthrough in the period drama The Tudors, where he portrayed Charles Brandon, Henry VIII’s brother-in-law.
After this success, Cavill’s career was a series of near-miss opportunities. Fans wanted him to play Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter, but the role went to Robert Pattinson. Similarly, Stephanie Meyer considered him for the role of Edward Cullen in Twilight, but once again, Pattinson got the part. He also made it to the final two contenders for James Bond but lost to Daniel Craig, who was seen as a more rugged fit. However, in 2011, Cavill finally got the significant role of Superman in Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel, a character he was initially set to play in a film that never materialized back in 2004.
Cavill stands out as a unique figure in the entertainment industry due to his love for fantasy novels and video games. He’s essentially a geek who happens to be a leading movie star, which is quite unusual. It’s like imagining Tom Cruise and Simon Pegg switching bodies in Mission: Impossible, with Cruise becoming the nerdy one. Cavill’s passion even extends to painting Warhammer miniatures, as evident from the videos he shared on Instagram during lockdown.
Credit to Cavill, he hasn’t shied away from embracing his geeky side. He’s fully embracing it in his next major project, an Amazon adaptation of the Warhammer 40K science fiction war game.
Warhammer’s universe is extensive and presents a challenge in bringing it to the screen. The 40K game combines elements of Frank Herbert’s Dune and an early Iron Maiden album, providing plenty of material to work with. However, there might be concerns about Amazon’s commitment after the harsh criticism received for its Lord of the Rings prequel, The Rings Of Power.
To avoid being typecast as a geek, Cavill is also diversifying his roles. His next film, Argylle, directed by Matthew Vaughn, is an old-fashioned Bond-style adventure. In the movie, Cavill plays a secret agent who is deceived into believing he’s a thriller writer. He shares the screen with Dua Lipa, who will likely appreciate the opportunity for more screen time compared to her role in the Barbie movie.
After his current projects, Henry Cavill is teaming up with Guy Ritchie once again for the Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, a movie about a secret Allied black-ops unit during World War II. These roles suit Cavill perfectly, as they revolve around his grumpy charm, a disarming gruffness that could have made him an ideal James Bond to follow Daniel Craig, whom he competed with for the role. However, at 40, some consider Cavill too old for the part of the dapper superspy.
As fans worry about his future as Superman in the DC Universe, Cavill might find solace in the Warhammer franchise, a project he’s deeply invested in as a producer. After facing uncertainty and disappointments in the industry for two decades, he might learn to trust himself more than anyone else in Hollywood, as reported by Telegraph.
