If the series of big-budget duds wasn’t already catastrophic enough, the DC universe is now in a full-blown crisis after two of its leading men, Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill called it quits on their contract, just ten months after the release of Justice League. Astonishing it may seem, but we may have seen the last of this Batman and Superman duo.
Whilst there aren’t any concrete reasons behind the departure yet, but the ongoing crisis at the studios is touted to be the primary reason. Cavill’s exit reports this past weekend stunned the DC fandom as it stirred up a hornet’s nest all across the social media platforms, but Affleck soon followed suit and everything went into a tailspin.
DC tried to replicate the MCU, but it never took flight. Even though it’s first production under the banner Man of Steel generated lukewarm response, it all started going downhill from the dirge-like Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice in 2016. The Zack Snyder directorial did rake in a hefty $873 million (it remains the highest grossing movie of DC till now), but received unprecedented flak from all quarters for wafer-thin story and over-the-top VFX.
Barring Wonder Woman, next two of the three releases too received enormous brickbats while the production also came under fire. That led to Snyder being ousted as a director, even though he continues to be a part of the studios as a producer or executive producer. The proposed sequel to Suicide Squad and Flash and Cyborg spin-offs were also up in the air, but it wouldn’t be wrong to suggest that with the Cavill and Affleck departures, DC has truly hit its all-time nadir.
The black and red capes are now up for grabs, though Black Panther star Michael B. Jordan is touted to succeed as the next Kryptonian crusader. Whereas for the Dark Knight, a number of possibilities are currently being weighed with Jake Gyllenhaal, Joaquin Phoenix, Chris Pine and Affleck’s brother Casey, all touted to be in contention.
Amid all the pandemonium, fans can find a silver lining from the upcoming triumvirate of DC movies that are readying for a release. Aquaman is first up in December, while Shazam debuts in March next year. The most awaited one though, Wonder Woman 1984, is slated for a November 2019 release.