Whether or not Henry Cavill is really done playing Superman (and it seems all but confirmed that he is), it’s obviously a guarantee that eventually, he’ll be replaced. Ever since Kirk Alyn first ran with the torch back in the 1940s, a very select club made up of some very talented actors have had the privilege of bringing the iconic hero to life, but who will be next after Cavill?
That remains to be seen, but one name who keeps coming up in conversation is Black Panther‘s Michael B. Jordan. A self-confessed comic book fan, the actor has already said he’d like to play Calvin Ellis of Earth-23, a Superman of color who also happens to be president. And we also know that he’s had meetings with Warner Bros. about taking on the role, too.
Whether it’ll ever happen or not, only time will tell, but in a recent interview, Jordan explained that if he ever did play the Man of Steel, his take on the character would stay true to the comics and be something that fans would really support.
“Anything I do dive in has gotta be done the right way. It has to be full of authenticity.” He said. “I’m a fan of comic books, you know? I understand the fans being upset at… ‘Oh no, why are doing this and why are they changing that?’ I would feel the same way about certain things. So, just know, if I ever were to dabble in anything, it would be authentic and something that I feel like people would really support.”
Of course, there’ve been conflicting reports doing the rounds online for a long time now surrounding Cavill’s future in the DCEU, leading to some awkward moments where the actor himself has tried to convince people that he’s still attached to the role. But with Henry now tied up with Netflix’s The Witcher, which looks like it’ll be taking up a lot of his time over the next few years, speculation over Jordan replacing him has only intensified. Especially since he’s also recently signed a big first-look deal with Warner Bros.
But for now, at least, all we can do is sit tight and wait for the studio to give us some kind of official update on what the future holds for Superman. As one of their most popular characters, we can’t imagine he’ll be left on the shelf for too long, but who will play him when we next see the hero on the big screen remains the big question.