Henry Cavill offered his opinion on Superman’s modern relevance after reports claim Warner Bros. sees the Kryptonian as a tough sell for today’s audiences.
The Man of Steel and Justice League star told ET Online in his latest sit down to promote The Witcher he feels Superman can still be “extraordinarily relevant.”
Cavill pitched them his old-meets-new idea for a MOS sequel that would reaffirm Supe’s relevance in a doubting world.
“I’d like to delve more into the aspect of Superman [that] we traditionally know, coupled with where we left him with Man of Steel. It’s the hero who is trying to exist in a world where people may say he’s not relevant anymore — where, actually, he’s extraordinarily relevant and it’s him coming to terms with that and becoming that relevance and showing people that hope does exist without it being too chocolate box.”
Cavill summed it up by saying he “wanted to still have an edge” too, but without forgetting the “warmth” and “hope.”
Related: The Witcher and Superman Actor Henry Cavill Addresses Concerns of “Toxic Fandom”
His thinking closely mirrors Neil Gaiman who tweeted “You don’t make [Superman] relevant. You make [him] inspiring” in response to a Forbes article questioning if Big Blue has cultural resonance anymore.
You don’t make it relevant. You make it inspiring. https://t.co/mN0g7QG9b6
— Neil Gaiman (@neilhimself) December 2, 2019
Forbes and Variety led the charge of outlets relaying the story WB is “unsure how to make” Superman “relevant to modern audiences.” That scoop met with a pronounced contrarian reaction online from fans and Gaiman’s fellow comic creators alike.
Directly or indirectly, Cavill showed support for the voices of the backlash last week when he addressed the so-called “toxic fandom” in regards to The Witcher. He said to the interviewer, Jake Hamilton:
“I understand what you are saying, but when it comes to fans, it is a fan’s right to have whatever opinion they want to have.”
Related: Neil Gaiman Responds to Warner Bros. Struggle to Keep Superman “Relevant” Today
Man of Steel 2 and the Snyder Cut
Henry Cavill is adamant “the cape” is still his even though there is a chance he could lose it to unknown David Corenswet. His next opportunity to wear it could be in a slugfest with Black Adam but Cavill would like to get Man of Steel 2 made.
It “would be awesome,” he said to Reel Blend’s Kevin McCarthy. Asked if we will get MOS 2, Cavill replied:
“I can tell you nothing, unfortunately. I can tell you nothing. It, indeed, would be awesome.”
McCarthy began the interview asking about the Snyder Cut. He queried Cavill if he has seen it or wants to and Cavill responded he doesn’t know if it exists, adding he’d rather look to the future and picking up where the first Man of Steel left off.
“I have not seen any Snyder cut. I don’t know if there is anything that exists that is a Snyder Cut. I’m sure there is footage out there which probably has been pieced together over the years. I’m always interested to see how that stuff turns out, but that is very much a chapter in my past. I would rather talk about what is going to happen in the future, the future of Superman, how I can express that character from the comic books, which ties in nicely into Man of Steel…I really liked that movie, and I would like to tell the story where it was left at that point.”
Related — Rumor: Henry Cavill Could Lose Superman Role to David Corenswet
Here is the interview:
“I have not seen any Snyder cut.”
Henry Cavill and I geek out about our shared love for @ZackSnyder’s masterful MAN OF STEEL, his idea for future of his Superman character & how is character in THE WITCHER is a combination of Batman & Superman!#ReleaseTheSnyderCut #TheWitcher pic.twitter.com/xg6WWKVRAB
— Kevin McCarthy (@KevinMcCarthyTV) December 3, 2019
Anything Cavill needs to know about the Snyder Cut, he can consult Jason Momoa – who has seen it and believes it can be finished – or Zack Snyder whose latest Vero post shows off canisters containing reels for a “DIRECTOR’S CUT.”
Related: Zack Snyder Unveils Compelling Photo Evidence the Snyder Cut of Justice League is Real
The Witcher premieres this month on Netflix.