Henry Cavill

Are we still doing #SquadGoals? Because if so, I think I’ve found mine. Earlier today, Mission: Impossible 6 director Christopher McQuarrie posted a photo of himself hanging out with series stalwart Tom Cruise and dashing newcomer Henry Cavill against the Eiffel Tower, raising the bar for family vacation photos everywhere. If I worked in the photo department at the local Walgreens and saw this in someone’s film roll, I would put a sign up on the door that said “No More Eiffel Tower Photos” for everyone to see. What’s the point? They’ll never be this cool.

While the words “period action” and “Guy Ritchie” don’t always go over well with critics, there’s no denying that Ritchie’s 2015 film The Man From U.N.C.L.E. is a cut above the rest. Led by an all-star cast that included Henry Cavill, Armie Hammer, and Alicia Vikander, U.N.C.L.E. runs with its Cold War setting and creates a stylish and  —  dare I say  —  sexy story of international intrigue and the dapper spies who saved the world from nuclear annihilation. Unfortunately for its fans, the movie didn’t do particularly well at the box office, only grossing about $110 million worldwide against a $75 million budget. That’s not exactly money that screams sequel, if you know what I mean.

2015’s remake of old-school espionage show The Man From U.N.C.L.E. was a rollicking good time, but more than that, it was an audition reel for its stars Armie Hammer and Henry Cavill. Hammer brought his marksmanship and high-speed combat skills to Ben Wheatley’s upcoming shoot-‘em-up Free Fire, and now part-time Superman Cavill has also landed a new role befitting his ultra-smooth fighting prowess. He’ll have to run, jump, most likely get shirtless, and appear alongside Tom Cruise in what just might be his most dangerous assignment yet.

Warner Bros. supposedly has years of DC Comics movies mapped out, but the map keep changing before our eyes. Officially announced titles include this year’s Justice League and Wonder Woman, and next year’s Aquaman and a Shazam movie featuring Dwayne Johnson. But beyond the immediate future, things look more hazy. Will we get a solo film with Ben Affleck’s Batman? What’s the story with The Flash, which has gone through directors faster than its title character could run on his cosmic treadmill. And then there’s the case of Superman. He got a sort-of sequel to Man of Steel in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, but the Man of Tomorrow was mostly a supporting character in his own movie there. Will Warner Bros. deliver an official Man of Steel 2?

Based on the images we’ve seen so far (and just the images), it’s fair to assume that Justice League is a movie about A. a long-haired metal-head who starts a rock cover band with a group of people in unnecessarily elaborate costumes, or B. a team of superheroes who spend their time aggressively posing and staring at things offscreen. Either way, it seems like it could be a good time.

As is tradition, the night before the Oscar ceremony takes place, the 37th Annual Golden Raspberry Awards will descend on Los Angeles to commemorate the worst that Hollywood had to offer in 2016. A mean-spirited diss-fest in the estimation of some, a good-natured ribbing to others, the so-called Razzies are twice as unpredictable and ten times as frank as the usual awards program. The expected categories of Worst Picture, Worst Director and Worst Actor/Actress share space with the distinctions of Worst Screen Combo and Worst Prequel, Remake, Ripoff, or Sequel at the ignominious ceremony. Some celebrities take the jokes in stride (Sandra Bullock famously showed up to receive her Worst Actress Razzie for All About Steve the day before she dropped by the Oscars to pick up her Best Actress prize for The Blind Side), but the program goes widely ignored by the industry overall.

For gentiles far and wide, yesterday was a day of rest and relaxation; Henry Cavill spent it making headlines. Today brings a twofer of Super-news in the post-Christmas lull:

Over the summer, a report suggested that Warner Bros. had put Man of Steel 2 in “active development,” despite reports in 2015 that the sequel to Zack Snyder’s Superman film had been placed on permanent hold. Warner Bros. has yet to confirm plans for a new standalone Superman sequel, but it looks like someone else just did it for them: Henry Cavill’s manager.

Look, in the sky! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s a Goodyear tire! No, it’s the new Superman costume from Justice League. Seemingly confirming rumors that the Man of Steel will be wearing a black suit in Zack Snyder’s next superhero epic, Henry Cavill shared a new close-up shot of the Superman costume from the set of the upcoming film — and although you can’t see the entire thing, it is most certainly black.

Despite Zack Snyder’s assertion that Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is basically a sequel to Man of Steel (it’s totally not), fans are still wondering if and when we might see Superman get a proper standalone follow-up. But Warner Bros.’ DC slate is fairly crowded with two Justice League movies and solo films for Wonder Woman, The Flash, Batman, Aquaman and Cyborg. Last we heard, WB put plans for Man of Steel 2 on “permanent hold,” while Snyder and Henry Cavill expressed interest in the sequel if they could find the time for it. And it looks like that time may be approaching.