Henry Cavill’s next solo adventure as Superman is far from a certainty, with a new report revealing there is no script for Man of Steel 2 and that it could not even happen. It has been far from a smooth ride for Cavill as Superman. Cavill was put at the forefront of a post-Dark Knight relaunch of the character and in the hands of Zack Snyder, the result was very divisive. Man of Steel has its fair share of vocal supporters, but there is an equal number of people who believe Snyder doesn’t understand what makes the last son of Krypton a hero.


The mixed reception didn’t stop there, with Superman being rushed through a big arc so he could die in Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, setting the wheels in motion for the Justice League to be formed. However, it was almost immediately after his onscreen death that his resurrection was teased, and fans have waited nearly two years now to see how Justice League will bring him back.


Through all of this, those who defend Man of Steel have waited for word on a sequel as Warner Bros. has announced and moved forward with several other properties. There hasn’t been any significant developments on the sequel, and we may now know why. The Washington Times spoke to frequent DC movie producer Charles Roven and asked him about the status of Superman’s sequel, and the response isn’t promising. The Times reports Man of Steel 2 isn’t “coming anytime soon, if at all,” and Roven said there isn’t a script, though “various story ideas” have been discussed.


The “good” news here for those asking for Man of Steel 2 is Roven does state that story ideas are being discussed. Unfortunately, the context of these ideas is unclear. It is possible Roven meant they are discussing story ideas for where Superman’s arc will go moving forward and not specifically the story of a second solo movie. If we believe that is not the case and these story ideas are for Man of Steel 2, that still isn’t the greatest news and is far from a signifier that the sequel is coming.


Oddly enough, it was right around this time last year that Amy Adams said a script was in the works for the sequel, but Roven told The Washington Times the exact opposite. This also makes previous reports of Matthew Vaughn being in talks to direct more confusing. But, in this case, it could be an example of the studio at one time moving forward on the sequel, only for them to change their minds – and the future of the DC universe – later on.


The real question here lies with what is not directly quoted from Roven. The article says the sequel “isn’t coming anytime soon,” which lines up with Roven saying there isn’t a script, but it is unclear if the “if at all” is the author speculating, or if that is what Roven actually said. The former result wouldn’t be terribly surprising given Roven’s response and the lack of news on the sequel, but the latter option could be a crushing blow to Man of Steel 2‘s chances. Then again, things could change very quickly if audiences love the new Superman they see in Justice League and want to see more.