Earlier this year, news broke that Warner Bros. was in the process of developing a new Superman movie with J.J. Abrams on board as producer via his Bad Robot label, and acclaimed Black Panther comic writer Ta-Nehisi Coates on board to pen the script.
We had heard that Henry Cavill was not expected to reprise the role, and it was recently confirmed that the project is being set up as a sort of Elseworlds take on the Man of Steel with a Black actor currently being sought to play the iconic DC Comics hero.
Justice League director Zack Snyder was tasked with rebooting Superman for the then burgeoning DCEU with 2013's Man of Steel, and during an interview with the Radio Times, the filmmaker was asked to share his thoughts on WB's future plans for the character - plans which don't seem to involve Cavill.
“My feeling is that I love JJ [Abrams], I love what he’s done in the past," said Snyder. "I’m interested to see what happens, it’s a bold and cool and probably long overdue move. But I love Henry [Cavill] as Superman, of course I do. He’s my superman."
“I’m not really involved in any of the decision-making at Warner Brothers in any way," he continued. "So I guess for me it’s just wait and see what they do with this and how it manifests itself. But on the surface, it seems interesting.”
Our most recent update on this new Superman film likened the project to Matt Reeves' upcoming The Batman or Todd Phillips' Joker (2019) in that it's not expected to be part of the main DC Films Universe, so there's still a chance we could see Cavill back in the cape at some point.
We also know that Abrams won't be helming the film, with the director shortlist said to include the likes of Steven Caple Jr. (Creed II), J.D. Dillard (Sweetheart), Regina King (One Night in Miami), and Shaka King (Judas and the Black Messiah).