MOVIE NEWS – Superman’s place in the DCEU has been uncertain since Justice League, but a new merger between Warner Bros. and Discovery could propel him back into the spotlight.

Superman is back in the crosshairs: Warner Bros. and Discovery have merged in a $43 billion deal, bringing all the stories, characters and productions from DC’s catalogue under the Discovery umbrella. With the merger, Discovery now wants to refocus on DC’s most viable but neglected property. According to Variety (following ScreenRant), Discovery intends to change the character’s almost forgotten status in DC’s live-action films.

The studio’s new management structure is likely to be willing to properly utilise Superman, who has become a sufficiently profitable draw.

The studio reportedly believes that several “top characters like Superman have been left to wither away” in the DC Extended Universe, which explains the studio’s renewed interest in the character.

Previously, Warner Bros. rebooted Superman with Man of Steel, bringing Zack Snyder on board as a visionary to oversee and design a franchise of live-action films based on DC Comics characters. Snyder introduced the world to Henry Cavill as the superhero. Although it received a mixed critical reception, the film was a commercial success.

However, the positive response from audiences was enough for Warner Bros. to greenlight Snyder’s plans for a sequel. Instead of a direct sequel, Snyder has made Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, with Ben Affleck as Batman and Cavill returning to the role. With the film, Snyder announced the next in a series of DCEU releases planned for the coming years, but the hostile reception of Batman v Superman led Warner Bros. to rethink Snyder’s plans, leaving Man of Steel 2 in prolonged production limbo.

Now that a new team-up is in place, the superhero may get the movie fans have always been waiting for.

Discovery’s aforementioned decision can’t be explicitly confirmed, nor can it be ascertained whether Cavill will be asked to reprise the role or recast, but what seems inevitable is that the new owners in charge could soon bring the DC pop culture’s top icon back to the screen.

Superman is the most iconic character in the DC Comics catalogue. The character has seen several transitions over time. While Christopher Reeve was the first and most famous character iteration to date, the franchise was rebooted with Bryan Singer’s Superman Returns, in which Brandon Routh played the role. It was then that Snyder’s version was greenlit with Cavill in the lead role.

Although it’s been years since Cavill last donned the costume, he claims he’s still ready to return and awaits the call. There have been hints of his character’s presence in the DCEU multiverse, and the continued evolution of the stories suggests that the character will remain in this unified multiverse. It’s unknown how the superhero’s future with Discovery will play out, but it’s exciting to know that the character is being given a prominent place, which could soon lead to a live-action film with him at the centre.

Source: ScreenRant