Is Tyler Hoechlin Playing Superman Again? If So, It Won't Be Often, And Here's Why

I think we can all agree that Tyler Hoechlin did a fantastic job with his portrayal of Superman on Supergirl. In fact, many fans began to urge CW to create a live-action TV series with Hoechlin as the lead because of his performance. Twitter was abuzz with thumbs-up reactions, and entertainment sites have been running with the story since Hoechlin's two episodes appeared.

Recently, Hoechlin expressed his gratitude for the reception he received as the Man of Steel:

"We, again, had things that we found interesting and that’s something we committed to and at the end of the day that’s a nice thing as an actor because you know if people enjoy it, then great."

Unfortunately, that doesn't mean Hoechlin will be gaining his own television series as the famous Kryptonian anytime soon, if ever, and his time onscreen may be very limited. There are two very big obstacles in the way that not even Superman can move.

Warner Bros. Controls Superman

Warner Bros. owns the rights to all the characters in the DCTV Universe. Supergirl's producers had to ask for permission to use the Man of Steel onscreen, and though they only asked for one episode, producers were allotted two episodes. So any future appearances by Hoechlin would require further approval.

Some have speculated that perhaps Superman could show up in other superhero shows on The CW such as Legends of Tomorrow, but with the red tape, that seems unlikely. It made sense for Superman to appear in Supergirl, but taking Superman outside Metropolis to fight in different Earths doesn't, especially not when Supergirl has proven she can handle whatever battle arises.

Henry Cavill's Role As Superman In The Movies

When he spoke with Comic Book Movies, Supergirl executive producer Andrew Kreisberg said, "Warner Bros. didn't want the character of Superman given too much focus on the small screen. Right now, the only Superman for the audience should be Henry Cavill, who has played the role multiple times for the big screen."

In a way it makes sense, as Warner Bros. doesn't want the character to be diluted. Viewers could compare Hoechlin's portrayal to Cavill's which, in the end, could result in a loss at the box office if viewers feel Cavill comes up lacking. At present, Cavill has three upcoming projects as the Man of Steel that take him into 2019, which lessens the odds of a live-action Superman series to almost nil before then.

As much as I would love to see a live-action Superman with Tyler Hoechlin at the helm, it's apparent Warner Bros. probably isn't going to allow that to happen as long as the movies are profitable. Andrew Kreisberg is hopeful that Superman can return to Supergirl for more episodes, and that will have to be good enough for now.