In the ever-expanding world of genre fiction on the big screen, casting big stars in massive roles is the go-to way to attract the public eye. Some fictional characters are bigger than any real celebrity can ever be, but what happens when the type of person who cares about those figures and their world enters the conversation?
Henry Cavill is well known for several big performances, but once he took on the role of mankind’s firstbig superhero in 2013, his biggest project was set in stone. He’s since taken on other huge characters, but his unusual career path over the past few weeks suggests strange changes in the larger forces of the filmmaking landscape.
RELATED:Henry Cavill Confirms He Will Not Return As Superman In DC Universe
As far as big nerds are concerned, Henry Cavill is Superman in the DC Universe and Geralt of Rivia in Netflix’sThe Witcher. He’s also fresh off of his secondperformance as Sherlock Holmes, one of the most famous and iconic literary figures in human history, but that one never gets brought up for some reason. He will not be returning to either of his big parts. He leftThe Witcherafter the show’s third season. Some conjecture has suggested that he may have just been clearing his schedule to portray the Man of Steel again, while others implied he may have just been unhappy with the show’s treatment of the source material. The star is well-known as a longtime fan of the novels, and the numerous changes made by the showrunnersweren’t ignored by fans. The idea of a star stepping away from a big role because he thought the books were better is somewhat unprecedented, and though it’s still an unconfirmed rumor, it is an interesting element of the medium.
Cavill last portrayed Superman in the fated Snyder Cut ofJustice League, but his brief cameoappearance inBlack Adamsuggested to fans that he’d be returning to the role. After some waffling on the issue, Cavill and new DC Studios co-chair James Gunn confirmed that Cavill was out. With both of his big projects gone, Cavill has moved on to a prospectiveWarhammerstreaming universe, a favorite IP of his. Cavill’s time as Superman was overwhelmingly dominated by Zack Snyder, a deeply controversial filmmaker. Cavill stated publicly how excited he’d be to portray a moreuplifting and happy take on the character. Yet another example of the actor having an interest in the specific presentation of the character. It’s not unheard of, but Cavill seems like the kind of artist who cares very much about the legacy of his characters.
The nature of modern franchise media ensures that every well-known fictional character will be portrayed in a million different ways by a million different creators. Comic book characters already have that experience, given all the wacky multiverse shenanigans every publisher has tried out over the years. It’s fair to say thatCavill’s performance in bothof the famous genre roles he recently lost was very good, but neither is the definitive version of the character. Geralt and Superman didn’t originally have voices, allowing any reader to come up with their voice when they read their dialogue. When it comes to adaptation, strict adherence to the source material is a blessing and a curse. The movie is often a chance to fix things from the book, but some things have to change to better fit a new medium. Obviously, most of the choices made in those adaptations aren’t made by actors, but what good is an actor who has a stake in the existing property before its new version?
When people say that something was made “by fans, for fans,” it’s usually a mark of praise. Creators working with beloved source material frequently speak with reverence about the things that inspired them. Every writer, director, and producer will talk about the thing they’re working on as the veryproject that inspired themto take up their job in the first place. Whether there’s value in strict adherence to the source material varies highly based on the subject. An actor who enters a project because they love the work it was based on may find themselves less useful to the overall creative effort than a complete newcomer. Maybe modern franchise media is like a job that asks for untrained help. They prefer to train the new hires their way.
There’s no way of knowing how much fandom played into Cavill’s casting. He could’ve been too expensive forWitcher.James Gunn might havewanted a younger actor for Superman’s rebirth. But, it’s interesting to see the path of an actor who is clearly genuinely passionate about the types of properties that get made into movies these days. It was tough to imagineWarhammergetting an adaptation before Cavill made it a possibility. Maybe the true calling of a fan in modern Hollywood is to shape their own cinematic playground.
