Dwayne Johnson Says Warner Bros. Fought Against Bringing Henry Cavill's Superman Back In Black Adam
Remember when we reported that the relationship between Warner Bros. and Henry Cavill isn't exactly as rosy as we were led to believe with the latter's return as Superman? Well, it looks like a more clear picture as to what is actually going on is forming in front of our eyes, and it's all thanks to Dwayne Johnson.
In a new video posted to his Twitter account (h/t Deadline), the "Black Adam" star revealed that he was the one to pitch Cavill's post-credits appearance in the long-gestating film. This isn't surprising, given that "Black Adam" has been his passion project for more than a decade, but Superman specifically was requested in order to make the anti-hero seem like a legitimate threat to the DC Extended Universe. Perhaps in a way that changes the hierarchy of power.
"We have to bring back the most powerful, unstoppable force of all time in any universe," Johnson explained in the video. "And you guys know who I'm talking about? Of course, that is Superman, and that's Henry Cavill." However, the pitch apparently received skepticism from the top brass at Warner Bros.
"At the end of the day, the studio was not bringing Henry Cavill back, inexplicably and inexcusably. But we weren't going to take no for an answer [...] This has been years in the making, bringing Henry Cavill back, and years of strategic conversations, and we were not going to take no for an answer. For us, there was no way, there's no viable logical way that you can attempt to build out the DC Universe without the most powerful force and the greatest superhero of all time sitting on the sidelines. It's impossible to do."
What's actually going on?
Not only was Johnson determined to get Superman in his "Black Adam" movie, he was also insistent that Henry Cavill was the only Superman for the job (unlike the "Shazam!" post-credits scene, which used a body double and never showed Superman's face). Johnson continued:
"You can Venn diagram, business-wise, this whole thing 90 different times, but it all comes back to, 'Where's Superman?' You have to have Superman in the mix. So that's why we fought hard to bring Superman back, Henry Cavill. And there was no other Superman to bring back, by the way. Henry Cavill is our generation's Superman."
If you haven't been paying attention to the ongoing Cavill-as-Superman confusion unfolding at Warner Bros., here is a quick refresher. Despite Cavill previously announcing his return to the character he first portrayed in 2013's "Man of Steel," industry sources say that there aren't any solid plans for a Superman project involving the British actor, and he hasn't signed a new contract yet. In fact, there may not be any Superman projects in active development – Ta-Nehisi Coates' period take on the character has barely had any public updates since it was announced in early 2021. Moreover, the future of the DC Universe is still in the early planning stages after the recent appointment of James Gunn and Peter Safran as co-CEOs of DC Studios.
Regardless, it looks like Cavill is still the de facto Superman in the DCU at the moment. After all, "Black Adam" does exist within the universe's main timeline, and that post-credits scene does tease an eventual confrontation between the two superpowered beings. However, the main timeline might be changed if the multiverse-centric "The Flash" ends up ever coming out. Speaking of which, has anyone heard from Ezra Miller lately?