Henry Cavill Seems to Cryptically Respond to Reports He’s No Longer Playing Superman

Warner Bros. released a statement to ET on the report that Cavill was leaving the DC universe.

As the rumors continue swirling in the DC Extended Universe, actor Henry Cavill posted a cryptic message to Instagram on Wednesday, which left many fans speculating about the fate of the 35-year-old actor as Superman. 

“Today was exciting #Superman,” Cavill captioned a clip of himself wearing a “Krypton Lifting Team” T-shirt and jokingly holding up a Superman action figure in slow motion. 

The fate of Superman was called into question after an article was published by The Hollywood Reporter claiming that Cavill would no longer be portraying the Man of Steel.

In the piece, THR reports that Cavill is parting ways with Warner Bros. after contract talks between his reps and the studio didn’t go as planned in regard to him making a cameo as Superman in the upcoming action film Shazam!.

The report went on to note that the new focus is on a Supergirl movie, and that the studio doesn’t have plans for a new solo Superman film anytime soon. 

A source tells ET that Cavill was asked to make a cameo as Superman in Shazam! but wasn’t able to do it because he was simultaneously filming Mission: Impossible – Fallout. The source adds it was simply a scheduling conflict, and that he never turned down the opportunity to play Superman again. Rather, the source explains, he simply just couldn’t make the cameo work for this particular film.

Warner Bros. addressed the rumors in a statement to ET, saying, “While no decisions have been made regarding any upcoming Superman films, we’ve always had great respect for and a great relationship with Henry Cavill, and that remains unchanged.” 

Meanwhile, Dany Garcia, Cavill’s rep and former wife to Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, implied that Cavill isn't hanging up his cape just yet.

“Be peaceful, the cape is still in his closet," she tweeted. "@wbpictures has been and continues to be our partners as they evolve the DC Universe.” 

According to THR, Ben Affleck -- who portrayed Batman alongside Cavill in the underwhelming 2016 movie Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice -- also isn’t expected to reprise his role as the Caped Crusader, though that too has yet to be confirmed. ET has reached out to both Affleck’s reps and Warner Bros. regarding this report. 

Last fall, ET spoke with Affleck about what his kids think of him portraying Batman. Check it out:

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