Zack Snyder Recalls Casting Henry Cavill For Man Of Steel: 'That's What Superman Looks Like'
Whatever else you might think about the Henry Cavill era of Superman, you can't deny that Cavill looks the part — and director Zack Snyder felt the same way.
Cavill is currently gracing the cover of The Hollywood Reporter, which profiles him as a "franchise player" in its new issue. Back in March, the Snyder Cut of "Justice League" revived the sight of him in his Superman costume. (Remember, the logo isn't an "S;" it's a symbol meaning hope.) Cavill himself says he isn't done with Superman, and that "the cape is still in the closet." For Snyder, seeing him in the classic Christopher Reeve version of that costume was what sold him on Cavill in the first place.
While shooting test footage for "Man of Steel" in 2010, Snyder asked Cavill to put on the same spandex suit worn by Reeve. As he told THR:
"When you see the suit on the ground, it's kind of shriveled up, it's just spandex, it looks like, 'Oh God, that's not going to be cool.' Henry put it on in this trailer. And there's a version of this where he comes out and is like, 'I'm Superman!' and you're like, 'Okay, it's Halloween.' But Henry came out and even the crusty grips we hired for the test got quiet. Everybody was heart-attack serious. He had just the right energy. We were like, 'Oh, he's Superman. That's what Superman looks like.'"
Other Franchises to Play In
Cavill had a different reaction. He said:
"If I'm going to be honest, what was going through my mind was, 'Lord, I'm too fat to be wearing this suit right now.' And also, 'I can't believe I'm actually doing this' — there was a sense of excitement, achievement and nervousness."
Right now, Cavill's future as Superman remains uncertain, even as other Superman movies gain steam in their development. It feels like he is in a place similar to where Hugh Jackman once was with Wolverine (before "Logan"), in that we've yet to really see the definitive Superman movie with Cavill.
For some fans, "Man of Steel" might tick that box, but it and the other two movies Cavill did with Snyder received varying degrees of mixed reviews. And for Cavill himself, "Man of Steel" and its divisive choice to have Superman kill Zod represents unfinished business, a setup for future character explorations that never came.
For now, Cavill has found a home on Netflix. He's got "The Witcher" season 2 on deck for December, and he'll be reprising his role as Sherlock in "Enola Holmes 2," as well. We've also seen him branching out into other franchises like "Mission: Impossible" since 2017 ... and let's not forget that he's going to be starring in a "Highlander" reboot, either. Even if we don't see him as Superman again, we'll still be seeing a lot of Henry Cavill.