James Gunn is making a new Superman movie. The new DC boss will write the screenplay himself and possibly even direct it himself. What is also known is that we will see a slightly younger Superman, so Henry Cavill is out.
Finally who will be the new superman? One name continues to circulate in fan circles: that of the “Sex Education” star Asa Boterveld. Two years ago, when it seemed Cavill’s days were numbered, there was a fan petition to make Butterfield the new DC hero. And even now, many fans are speaking out for him on social media. A Spanish artist even took a picture of what the actor could look like as the new Man of Steel:
The artist was heavily influenced by Frank Miller’s 2019 comic Superman: Year One. After all, he also treats a young Superman. As the title makes clear, here he is in the first year of his heroic activity.
But is there any chance that Asa Butterfield, who is at least in the right age bracket of 25, will become the next Superman? The star of the success of the Netflix series “Sex Education” seems to be open – even if he would like to play in another project at the moment…
Asa Butterfield: Was almost Spider-Man, but is a DC fan
As it is known, Asa Butterfield was already very close to another superhero role. He was one of the last contenders for the MCU Spider-Man role, which eventually went to Tom Holland. He later explained in interviews that it wasn’t so bad that he didn’t get the part. He’s a bigger DC than Marvel fan anyway. And so he’s more likely to play a DC role in the future.
Asa Butterfield would not be averse to a role as Superman (although he once stated in an interview that his opponent Lex Luthor would appeal to him). But he seems much more interested in a completely different, hotly traded project – and that comes from ex-Superman Henry Cavill of all.
Asa Butterfield with Henry Cavill in “Warhammer 40k?
He’s making a series adaptation of “Warhammer 40,000” for Amazon Prime Video. And Asa Butterfield is a huge fan of the cult tabletop game, having professed his love for it multiple times on social media. And when Henry Cavill’s ending as Superman became known, he immediately jumped at a suggestion from Netflix colleague Rahul Kohli (“Midnight Mass”).
He explained on Twitter that Cavill absolutely had to do “Warhammer 40k” and then give him a part. And Butterfield was immediately hooked on the idea. He would also play a servant (the lobotomized and neglected forced laborers of the universe) if he had to, as long as he was allowed to participate.
Since Kohli and Butterfield were already talking about a “Warhammer 40k” from Cavill before the rumors and the announcement that followed, some fans then speculated that they had inside information (Kohli has since deleted his tweets on the subject). It remains to be seen if that’s true or if the two “Warhammer 40k” fans just brought into the game the biggest fan of the series in Hollywood, which is obvious to them. But it would be interesting if Butterfield starred with Cavill in “Warhammer 40k” but could become his successor as Superman at the same time.
However, the Superman casting is of course pure wishful thinking on the part of some fans so far. What James Gunn is up to and what thoughts he has about the cast so far is a secret – but not for long. The new DC boss has already announced that in January the first parts of the big 10-year plan he made with his colleague Peter Safran for the new DC universe will be revealed. The revelations should also include the future of the two central heroes Batman and Superman.