We finally learn that ‘Man of Steel 2’ is already in development at Warner Bros. Pictures, and with the return of Henry Cavill as Superman. However, on the face of it, this hadn’t happened before as studio head Walter Hamada didn’t want the actor back.
Hamada, a departing DC Films executive of four years, was largely responsible for leaving Cavill’s iteration of the hero “in the fridge,” according to The Hollywood Reporter. Hamada had his own plans for the franchise, one of them involving the introduction of an alternate version, scripted by Ta-Nehisi Coates, and therefore wanted no Superman involvement in Black Adam, but those plans have recently changed. .
By all accounts, the change of command was instrumental in achieving this goal, including David Zaslav (CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery) and Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy (Chairmen of Warner Bros. Pictures). All three had this “intense desire” to take over Cavill’s iteration.
However, Dwayne Johnson and Seven Bucks Productions are really responsible for Cavill’s return. The star and her brand, one of the most influential in Hollywood today, have been pushing for this to happen for years.
After Hamada’s negative responses, Johnson decided to contact De Luca and Abdy directly, who gave a thumbs up. An intense round of negotiations took place before Labor Day, a deadline imposed by the studio, and everything worked out.