Image via Universal Pictures
As a Brobdingnagian Henry Cavill fan , you may believe me when I say that being a Henry Cavill fan is hard sometimes . There are hispuzzling career choicesthat make zero sense , thequestionable thingshe sometimes aver , and his comical devotion toa miniature wargamethat has now become his vocation circuit card . Sometimes , it palpate as though he call for a grown “ Stop trying to makeWarhammerhappen ” dose of reality . At the very least , he needs novel direction — and he has that in common with his former Lois Lane , Amy Adams .
The affair is , Cavill has everything to be a head man : scourge good looks , a cool demeanor , suave charm , and a devoted fan base . For a while , it seemed like he could become an A - lister , back in the mid-2010s whenhe was still Superman . tight - forward to 2024 , and Cavill isstruggling at the box office — in a moving picture where he ’s not even the star topology , mind you — after two years of arguing , including a high - profile way out from his Netflix show and an even gamey - profile exit from the enfranchisement that made him celebrated .
Image via Universal Pictures
Indeed , thing look bad for Cavill , which begs the question : is there still prison term for him to deliver on his assurance to become a movie adept ? The answer is a shade more complicated than a elementary “ yes ” or “ no . ”
The Netflix situation
Like many other high - profile actor , Cavill spend the pandemic quarantining in streaming . He made a home out of Netflix , starring in the high - profile phantasy showThe Witcher . Although never a major phenomenon like , say , Game of Thrones , The Witcherwas big enough for Netflix to calculate to a great extent on it , turning it into a struggling , albeit solid dealership with Cavill at its center .
However , as the pandemic ended , so did the streaming craze . The success of pic likeTop Gun : Maverick , Avatar : The Way of Water , Barbie , andOppenheimersuddenly remind everyone just how likable it is to be a movie star because why would you settle for the belittled screen when you could light up its larger counterpart ?
Do n’t get me wrong , streaming is still a thing , and many actors have settle in that place . Chris Pratt ’s vocation now largely surrogate between Amazon undertaking and representative - act fizgig while Jennifer Lopez seems message being Amazon ’s raw reigning queen . actor like Chris Hemsworth , Chris Evans , Adam Sandler , and Ryan Reynolds are now almost only stream talents , and while their movies carry mighty price tags , they stay very much teem endeavour .
Cavill could very well comfortably pursue this way and follow ; the point is , he does n’t seem to want to . His very public break - up with Netflix proved that , and all of his forthcoming projects seem poised for a handsome - screen debut . But has Cavill spend too long on cyclosis project for him to successfully go back to the big screen , particularly when his pre - Netflix sensation credentials pretty much last and die withMission : inconceivable – Fallout ? Look , I lie with the guy wire , but Superman did more harm than honorable to his image , and none of his other celluloid made so much as a dent in the public ’s consciousness . In poor , Cavill ’s current fame might be right smart too tied to Netflix — and people like their Netflix histrion to persist there .
No one likes a one-trick pony
Another frustrative affair about Cavill is that he — or his direction , at least — seems to cogitate only in full term of franchises . Whether it ’s Chad Stahelski’sHighlanderreboot , the aforementionedWarhammer 40,000project , or even Matthew Vaughn ’s misguidedArgylle , for Cavill , it ’s all about the IP . This would seem like a surefire direction to become a movie star topology , but sentence have change . Audiences are less exonerative of Hollywood ’s unblushing attempts at franchise - building , as the failure of projects likeArgylle , Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny , and over half the superhero content proves .
The take with Cavill ’s attempts is one that I ’ve long notice in his career . There ’s a desperation to his cinematic efforts that crap them seem sillier than they are . Each flick very much feel like a calculate attempt to prove Cavill ’s worth as a headliner , and while this is reliable of most actor ’s career pick , they seem more overtly misanthropic in Cavill ’s guinea pig . This make it easier to lampoon them when they give out , which is exactly the pillow slip withArgylle . Those who ’ve reckon the film hump his role amounts to little more than an protracted cameo , yet his insistence to be front and center change by reversal him into the poster nipper for its failure .
Ironically , for Cavill to rise to lead serviceman , A - list status , he needs to embracenotbeing one . It might be easygoing to think of stars as one - trick ponies , but audience do n’t like their icons to be stable . Think of the last surviving movie star — Cruise , Bullock , Roberts , Reeves . They have defined personas , but they ’re also untroubled to try Modern things : fresh roles , new music genre , new radical . They represent leading and endure roles alike , mix and matching , even if it ’s always within the niche they carved for themselves .
This is exactly what ’s missing in Cavill ’s calling : diversity . The stoical , ever - perfect , dashing affair has buzz off old , especially when the roles that forebode for that are ancient history . Argyllewas maybe , kinda , sorta an attempt to enclose some levity to his résumé , and I applaud him for try . But why on Earth did n’t he embrace the cameo nature of his use instead of have his case plastered on every piece of selling material ? see to wrap up your track , Henry !
What’s next for Henry Cavill?
Cavill is a select campaigner for a reinvention … or the closest thing to one , at least . His persona is well - define ; he just ask to act as with it more . astonishingly , two of his upcoming projects can achieve this . Guy Ritchie’sThe Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfarehints at a new , sillier side to Cavill , something we genuinely have n’t see from him . Meanwhile , Stahelski’sHighlanderwill reenforce the player ’s action mechanism credentials while maybe even cement him as a wild-eyed star ( unconvincing , but potential ) .
You know what he really needs ? A rom - com . Genes as good as Cavill ’s should n’t be wasted on neuter natural action pic . What about a musical ? Nothing about Cavill screams song - and - dancing - man , but if Ryan Gosling proved anything , it ’s that audience can be forgiving if the leading man is charming enough . He also necessitate to play a villain again , desperately so . Get on the phone with James Bond producer Barbara Broccoli and make it pass off , Henry !
Bottom line , Cavill ask to hold on chasing the star deed of conveyance and focalise on perfecting his persona . He has the looks and talent to be a flick genius , but seemingly not the campaign or the business smart . Get yourself new representation , Henry , and you should be fine . But time is of the essence here , as audiences can only be so forgiving . One or two more flops , and you ’ll be doomed to the picture show star cemetery live by the Taylor Kitsches and Clive Owens of this globe . So get your bit together , Henry , because we ’re all settle down for you .
