Although two of Henry Cavill’s projects since leaving The Witcher haven’t quite worked out, his future movies and TV shows have a lot of potential.
Although two of Henry Cavill’s projects that were supposed to replace his leave from The Witcher have failed, many of Cavill’s upcoming projects can still vindicate his decision to walk away from the show. While the details aren’t exactly clear, Cavill left The Witcher in 2023 after the conclusion of the third season’s first part. The news of Cavill’s departure was particularly unfortunate considering the actor’s commanding screen presence, impressive fight scenes, and his genuine appreciation for The Witcher lore all but confirmed that the actor would portray Geralt of Rivia for years to come.
However, leaving The Witcher has allowed Cavill to delve deep into many other interesting projects that have the potential to better demonstrate his acting range. From Cavill’s upcoming Warhammer 40k TV series getting positive updates to his starring role in Guy Ritchie’s The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, Cavill has plenty of projects that will not only keep him busy, but also demonstrate that he was right to leave The Witcher. Despite how positive his prospects look, two of Cavill’s more recent non-Geralt roles failed to live up to the expectations set by his work on the Netflix fantasy series.
Henry Cavill Lost The Superman Role After Quitting The Witcher
James Gunn’s Superman: Legacy will take the character in an entirely different direction than Cavill’s version.
Although Cavill’s breakout role was as Clark Kent/Superman in Zack Snyder’s 2013 superhero movie, The Man of Steel, his final performance as Superman was in The Flash via an uncredited cameo. Shortly after the release of the movie, it was announced that Cavill would no longer be portraying Superman as the DCU is rebooting the character’s story via James Gunn’s upcoming Superman: Legacy. Similar to Cavill’s unfortunate departure as Geralt of Rivia in The Witcher, Cavill’s casting as Superman was perfect as he possessed the look and onscreen charisma necessary to be believable as the iconic Kryptonian.
Due to ongoing turmoil within the DCU, Cavill announced in 2022 that he would not reprise his role as Superman.
In Man of Steel, Cavill demonstrated the ability to endear himself to audiences as Clark Kent while also convincingly defending Earth from the never-ending waves of evil alien threats as the Man of Steel himself, Superman. However, with the DCU undergoing constant behind-the-scenes drama consisting of constant re-shoots, script rewrites, and bloated CGI budgets, Cavill eventually confirmed in 2022 that he would no longer be playing Superman. Despite the unfortunate news, Cavill immediately followed things up with a starring role in the upcoming The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare and Argylle.
Argylle’s Box Office Bomb Means It’s Unlikely To Become A New Franchise For Cavill
Argylle has only grossed $64.5 million against its roughly $200 million budget.
An unfocused marketing campaign, unfamiliarity among general audiences, and underwhelming early reviews were just a few things that contributed to Argylle ‘s failure.
Although Argylle has performed terribly at the box office, the hope was that the movie would help reestablish Cavill’s career as the spy comedy seemed like a perfect fit for the actor. However, an unfocused marketing campaign, unfamiliarity among general audiences, and underwhelming early reviews were just a few things that contributed to Argylle‘s failure. What’s worse is that Argylle‘s hefty $200 million budget implies studios were prepared to see the movie become the next big franchise. While the status of Argylle 2 is uncertain due to its abysmal performance, it’s still a win for Cavill.
Argylle perfectly demonstrates Cavill’s acting range as he plays the titular spy, and while the movie’s effects and script aren’t convincing, Cavill’s ability to do other things outside of Superman is. As seen with the actor’s role in the upcoming The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, Cavill is proving that he can take on a vast range of projects irrespective of their performance at the box office. A diverse number of roles is tantamount to an actor or an actress’s longevity, and although The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare hasn’t come out yet, it looks promising.
The Ministry Of Ungentlemanly Warfare Could Fix Henry Cavill’s Post-Witcher Streak
The Man from U.N.C.L.E. was Cavill’s first successful collaboration with Guy Ritchie.
The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare is based on the 2014 Damien Lewis book, Churchill’s Secret Warriors: The Explosive True Story of the Special Forces Desperadoes of WWII, and it sees Cavill as Gus March-Phillipps, a high-ranking member of the British military who recruits a small group of highly s𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁ed soldiers to eliminate a group of Nazis during World War II. The plot to the movie isn’t unheard of, but Cavill’s frenetic performance as seen throughout the trailer is, and it once again highlights his ability to bounce back from one or even two movies not working out in his favor.
Although The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare‘s critical and commercial success remains to be seen, Cavill’s performance, the quality of the supporting cast, and Ritchie’s signature blend of action and comedy seem like the perfect ingredients to break Cavill’s unfortunate post-The Witcher streak. Furthermore, while 2015’s The Man From U.N.C.L.E. wasn’t a massive box office success nor was it one of the year’s critical darlings, it demonstrated earlier in Cavill’s career the kind of chemistry he could share with Ritchie, which helped it eventually become a cult favorite movie. With The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare looking promising, it makes two other Cavill projects even more exciting.
Highlander & Warhammer Could Be Big Franchises For Henry Cavill
Both sci-fi projects could play well into Cavill’s strengths as a leading man.
Warhammer 40k centers around various factions fighting for dominance in a post-apocalyptic future, and its complex characters and dense lore make it one of the best entries in the RPG genre.
Cavill’s upcoming Warhammer 40k TV show, in which he’s starring and producing, looks promising; the actor has repeatedly professed his love for the original series. Based on the table-top role-playing game (RPG) of the same name, Warhammer 40k centers around various factions fighting for dominance in a post-apocalyptic future, and its complex characters and dense lore make it one of the best entries in the RPG genre. Although few details are available, Cavill’s increased involvement behind the scenes suggests that great measures are being taken to faithfully adapt the beloved franchise.
In addition to Cavill’s upcoming Warhammer 40k TV show, Cavill’s also slated to star in the Highlander reboot being directed by John Wick‘s Chad Stahelski. Cavill’s Highlander reboot is especially exciting given that the actor is also a self-professed fan of the source material, and his excellent character and action work in The Witcher strongly suggests he’ll be able to comfortably handle the sword-swinging Connor MacLeod. Combined with Stahelski’s run with the John Wick franchise, Cavill’s upcoming work already looks like it will vindicate his decision to leave The Witcher.
Henry Cavill Was Right To Leave The Witcher, Regardless Of What Happened Next
The Witcher’s declining ratings only would have made things worse for Cavill.
Although Cavill enjoyed plaudits from critics and viewers familiar with The Witcher‘s source material for his faithful depiction of Geralt of Rivia, the show’s decline in ratings with each subsequent season suggests that Cavill was wise to walk away from the series before things got particularly bad. While things afterward haven’t quite worked out in his favor, there’s still time to see how his upcoming projects fare against The Witcher‘s third season. Additionally, Cavill’s reputation among general audiences is still in good standing as he has displayed solid acting chops through the years.
Although Superman and Geralt of Rivia both seemed like the perfect roles for Cavill to pursue, the DCEU’s decision to reboot Superman and The Witcher‘s declining ratings suggest that it was smart for him to walk away. While Argylle didn’t live up to its potential, the other projects under Cavill’s belt have the potential to reinvent him as an actor while possibly setting up new franchises for him. With Cavill’s dedication to his new projects and the level of talent that’s involved, his decision to leave The Witcher could very well pay off.
Source: screenrant.com
