Awaiting his return as Superman, Henry Cavill plays a different hero

WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — Henry Cavill is all-in on his Netflix fantasy series “The Witcher,” but he says the “door hasn’t closed”on a return as Superman in the DC cinematic universe.

Cavill last played the superhero in 2017’s “Justice League” and it’s unclear whether any upcoming movies will feature the character. There are several films based on DC superheroes in the works, including sequels to “Wonder Woman” and “Aquaman.”

Cavill dons a long white wig to play monster hunter Geralt of Rivia in “The Witcher,” an ambitious eight-episode adaptation of Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski’s books. With intense magic, scheming political factions and epic battles, it’s targeting the audiences that made “Game of Thrones” a worldwide phenomenon.

”I live in the fantasy genre anyway, that’s my hobby. And so for me, it was always — it was always obvious. It was like yes, of course, these shows can be popular,” Cavill said. “It was always a target. I always wanted to bring things like this to to the screen in one way, shape or form.”

The show premiered Friday on Netflix, and production begins early next year on a second season.

The series features Cavill’s Geralt engaging in intricately choreographed swordplay, relaxing in a bath and talking to his horse — all recognizable moments for fans of the acclaimed hit 2015 role-playing game “The Witcher 3.” Cavill says his horse chats recalled his real-life dialogue with his American Akita dog Kal, who shows up regularly on his Instagram feed.

”That’s exactly what I was channeling when I was interacting with Roach [the horse], it was 100 percent the relationship Kal and I have,” he said. “Geralt may be a little harder. Generally, he’s been living in a harsher world and hated by a lot of people for longer than I have.”

Cavill was a fan of “The Witcher 3” before he landed the series. He says he imagined himself in the role while playing the game, which runs for dozens of hours.

“What CD Projekt Red did with the game was extraordinary,” he said of the company that created the game series. “And so all the work is kind of done for you. It’s all visualized in a spectacular world.”

He added: “Every time I played the games, all I thought was, ‘How can I re-create this in a certain way? And where would it be possible? How is it possible? Is there anywhere in the world that looks like this?’ ”