While Star Trek has provided a sense of comfort to many fans over the years, celebrities such as Henry Cavill seemed to find solace in the actors from the show. Cavill was set to return as Superman in the DCEU after a cameo in Black Adam. However, the franchise decided to reboot and Cavill had to sadly depart from the role.
While fans were up in arms about the new development, Cavill reportedly received a confidence boost from Star Trek star William Shatner. Captain Kirk himself reportedly supported the Superman star at his low point and mentioned that there would be more opportunities on the horizon.
William Shatner Comforted Henry Cavill After His Superman Exit
Henry Cavill began his tenure as Superman in Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel. The film began the ill-fated DCEU, which was plagued with mismanagement and other issues, leading to it finally being rebooted last year by James Gunn. However, right before the reboot was announced, Cavill was set to return as the superhero.
After a cameo in 2022’s Black Adam, Cavill announced that he would be officially back as Superman after a long hiatus and that there were plenty of plans in store for the character. Speculations about a Man of Steel sequel also arose. However, only a few weeks later, Cavill announced that he no longer had a place in Gunn’s reboot (via Variety).
While Cavill was replaced by David Corenswet in Superman, Henry Cavill moved on to other projects like Argylle and The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare. Cavill received a confidence boost from Star Trek legend William Shatner. He reportedly posted on X (formerly Twitter),
Sending my best wishes to #HenryCavill When a door closes; a window opens.
While Cavill seemingly had a career-low as both the films bombed at the box office and he exited his role in The Witcher, he still headlining the upcoming Highlander film and is developing a Warhammer 40,000 project.
William Shatner Had His Own Tryst With The Star Trek Fandom After Gaining Fame
As Superman, Henry Cavill had to deal with the expectations and the unavoidable disappointment of fans who love the character. The actor received his fair share of criticism for his portrayal of Clark Kent in Zack Snyder’s ultra-dark origin story. However, he slowly gained their love, especially after his departure.
Similarly, William Shatner reportedly had his own share of issues with the fandom when he first gained notoriety for his role as Captain Kirk in Star Trek. The actor reportedly did not want to be typecast as the space guy when he became famous and he did not understand the concept of a fandom back then.
I didn’t understand this fandom thing for a long time. I didn’t want to be typecast as the space guy. I hated doing convention appearances. Once you understand fandom you begin to see the loyalty & love the fans have for your work.
In the years since Shatner has written multiple memoirs about his time on Star Trek and has directed several documentaries about the franchise.
Man of Steel is available to stream on Max. Star Trek is available to stream on Paramount+.
