Well, this is interesting. At their Comic-Con panel earlier today in San Diego, Warner Bros. confirmed what had been rumored for the past 2 days: they are going to team up Batman and Superman together on-screen.
Here is what we know:
- This is technically the sequel to Man of Steel.
- Man of Steel director Zack Snyder and screenwriter David S. Goyer are returning. Snyder and Goyer are currently writing the story together, which Goyer will then adapt into a screenplay.
- Christopher Nolan, who produced and co-wrote the story for Man of Steel, will return only as an executive producer as will his producer wife Emma Thomas. Benjamin Melniker and Michael E. Uslan will also serve as executive producers, a credit they’ve both received for just about every Batman-related film (live-action or animated) Warner Bros. has released since 1989. The Man of Steel‘s other producers, Charles Roven and Deborah Snyder, will return to produce the sequel.
- The primary cast from Man of Steel will be reprising their roles, meaning Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Laurence Fishbourne, and Diane Lane will be back as Clark Kent/Superman, Lois Lane, Perry White, and Martha Kent respectively.
- The film goes into production in 2014 with a targeted release date of Summer 2015.
- In introducing the film at the panel, Zack Snyder quoted Frank Miller’s iconic graphic novel The Dark Knight Returns, “I want you to remember my hand at your throat. I want you to remember the one man who beat you.” This is what Batman says to Superman in the story’s climax. Snyder clarified they were not adapting The Dark Knight Returns, but that antagonistic sentiment between the two characters will inform the direction they go with their story.
Here is what we don’t know:
- Who’s playing Batman? The announcement confirmed that the new Batman has not been cast.
- Will this be connected to the Christopher Nolan Dark Knight trilogy in any way? Or will this be a re-booted version of Batman?
- The exact release date. We know Summer 2015 is the target.
- What will the film be called? Man of Steel 2 is likely out at this point as would be any other title exclusive to Superman, such as Man of Tomorrow.
Screenwriter David S. Goyer has previously said in interviews he viewed Man of Steel as establishing a new continuity from which all future Warner Bros/D.C. films would spring. That would indicate this Superman-Batman team-up will feature a re-booted version of Batman. If that’s the case, it’s worth nothing that only 3 years will have passed between Batman’s last cinematic appearance (The Dark Knight Rises in 2012) and his re-booted appearance (Man of Steel 2 or whatever they want to call it in 2015). How much time passed between Spider-Man 3 and The Amazing Spider-Man? 5 years, give or take a couple of days. Of course, this is not a fair comparison, and it’s too early to say for sure what they are going to do with Batman. It’s just something to remember.
Less official is speculation that beyond this Superman-Batman team-up Warner Bros. has tentative plans for a solo Flash movie in 2016 and a Justice League movie in 2017, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
This news of a Batman-Superman team-up has long since been but a fever dream to fans, and there was a prolonged effort over at Warner Bros. in the 90s to make the dream a reality. However, now it’s happened, but it’s coming to us from Zack Snyder and David S. Goyer. Your reaction to that reality likely dictates your reaction to this news.