New DC report shoots down Henry Cavill's Superman cameo rumor

Henry Cavill in Man of Steel
(Image credit: Warner Bros.)

Henry Cavill will not be appearing in Shazam! Fury of the Gods, despite several online reports suggesting otherwise, Variety reports. The publication says that sources with direct knowledge of the production and Cavill’s schedule have confirmed the actor will not be making a cameo in Shazam! 2. 

2019's Shazam! takes place in the DCEU and the Man of Steel is referenced throughout the movie, even making a sneaky appearance towards the end of the movie – however, he's only seen from the neck down and he's played by stunt performer Ryan Handley rather than Cavill.

Shazam! director David F. Sandberg addressed the casting rumors on Twitter, and revealed that Cavill was actually meant to appear in the first movie. "Not going to comment on casting rumors for several reasons. One being you can’t be sure about anything until it’s happened," Sandberg tweeted. "Halfway through shooting Shazam the plan was still for Cavill to be in it. Scoopers could have scooped that and been right at the time but wrong in the end."

However, none of this is to say that Cavill will never don the cape and tights again –last year, Variety confirmed that he would be returning for another DC Films project, and Cavill himself told Men's Health: “The cape is still in the closet. There’s a lot I have to give for Superman yet.” As to which DC movie that may be, that's still anyone's guess. 

Shazam! Fury of the Gods is due to hit the big screen on June 2, 2023. In the meantime, catch up on the DCEU with our guide to watching the DC movies in order.

Entertainment Writer

I’m an Entertainment Writer here at 12DOVE, covering everything film and TV-related across the Total Film and SFX sections. I help bring you all the latest news and also the occasional feature too. I’ve previously written for publications like HuffPost and i-D after getting my NCTJ Diploma in Multimedia Journalism.