Henry Cavill’s mustache has escalated the budget for Warner Bros.’ “Justice League” and thrown stars’ schedules into conflict, TheWrap has learned — all because rival studio Paramount won’t let him shave it while he also shoots the new “Mission: Impossible” film.
Pre-scheduled reshoots have run longer that planned, multiple individuals with knowledge of the situation said, ratcheting up stress and costs on the superhero orgy as it races to make a November release date.
Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot, Ezra Miller, Ray Fisher and Cavill have been bouncing back and forth from soundstages in Los Angeles to locations in London, pulling them from existing commitments and adding to the studio’s travel expenses, one of the insiders said.
The problem is that Superman’s clean-shaven look is as enduring as his red cape — and Cavill has grown facial hair for the sixth installment of Paramount’s “Mission: Impossible” franchise. After learning of the “Justice League” reshoot commitments, distributor Paramount forbade Cavill from shaving a mustache he had grown for the spy film, several people close to the scuffle said.
So the ‘stache — see it in its rugged glory here — will be digitally removed by Warner Bros. in post-production, at Warner Bros.’ expense. Superman’s clean-cut looks remains intact and convincing on screen, one insider said.
Representatives for Warner Bros. and Paramount Pictures declined to comment on the matter, mustache or otherwise.
Miller is also filming the Warner Bros. fantasy sequel to “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” with Jude Law. Affleck is a little less busy these days, having just dropped out of the Netflix film “Triple Frontier.”
For a billion-dollar franchise that combines the allure of characters like Batman, Superman and queen of the summer Wonder Woman, additional filming is to be expected. In fact, it was long baked into the production schedule but not to its current extent, the first individual said.
Production experienced upheaval at the start of summer over the shocking exit of director Zach Synder, following the death of his daughter. “Avengers” helmer Joss Whedon has stepped in to take the film across the finish line.
Snyder and Whedon had been working together for more than a month on the script before the former’s departure was announced, TheWrap previously reported. The collaboration serves as Whedon’s entrance into the DC extended universe — and he’s also signed on to direct a standalone “Batgirl” film.
News of the reshoots was first reported by Variety.