12 Things We Learned About Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice From Empire Magazine

For a movie that's not coming out until March of next year, Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice fans are getting treated to a lot of cool photos, videos and information ahead of time. Empire Magazine’s latest issue is no exception, as it gives us a ton of clues about not only this movie, but the entire DC extended universe (which includes no less than a dozen films between now and 2020). From several new photos and a ton of new details, we definitely learn a lot about Zack Snyder's upcoming superhero flick. And, now that we've had time to digest it all, we've chosen the 12 most important things that we learnt thanks to Empire's extensive coverage. Read on for more, and enjoy! 1) Batman V Superman Is An “Expansion” Of The DCU Unlike how the Marvel Universe is laid out, the creators of Batman V Superman are not calling this film a Man of Steel sequel, an episode or even a phase. Rather, they are calling it an expansion. Director Zack Snyder and crew are using 2013’s Man of Steel as a launching point for what is now being referred to as the DC Extended Universe (DCEU), playing off the idea that these films are not necessarily linear in fashion, but more like lines extending out in every direction that are all connected in the big picture. 2) Batman V Superman Is NOT The First Time A Movie With Both Heroes Has Been Considered While Batman V Superman will be the first time that the two iconic superheroes have appeared on the silver screen together, it’s not the first time it’s been attempted. In the vampire movie I Am Legend starring Will Smith, there is a billboard in the deserted Times Square showing a logo for a Batman vs. Superman movie, an in-joke for a WB film that never made it. There were also plans for a cameo in Tim Burton’s never-made Superman Lives film of Michael Keaton’s Batman to be looking down upon Nicolas Cage’s Superman. 3) Man Of Steel Had A Giant Easter Egg For The DCEU When Henry Cavill’s Superman turns on the scout ship in Man of Steel, it sends out a homing signal that finally allows General Zod to track him down to Earth. But the formidable villains wasn’t the only one who saw the signal. “The same thing that Zod saw, other beings saw. Other beings like Aquaman and Wonder Woman. A world began to stir,” said Snyder in his interview with Empire. We can imagine that just like Batman was operating for years before Superman showed up, there are other heroes that have been in existence since long BEFORE the world found out about the Man of Steel. 4) There's A Whiteboard At Snyder’s HQ That Lays Out The Entire DCEU Zack Snyder and his team have mapped out this entire extended universe and how all these movies fit together and where. Apparently, it's all laid out on a giant whiteboard and is something that other filmmakers can access and use to help ground their individual films in the timeline of the DCEU. “It's kind of a timeline of what every movie is,” says producer Deborah Snyder, “where it is going, and where the films fit in in relation to each other.” 5) Justice League Is The Basis Of This Universe And All Other DC Movies Support This It’s interesting to note that the Justice League is the lynchpin for the DC universe, considering it hasn’t even been made yet and Part 1 won’t come out until 2017. However, Zack Snyder wants the other movies to work around this concept, saying: “That is our Wonder Woman, our Aquaman. They have their own creative concepts that support them, but they do serve Justice League in the coming together of these heroes.” We know that screenwriter Chris Terrio has already finished the script for Justice League and that it may be accessible to the directors and writers of these other DC movie properties. We also know that the Justice League directly influenced the production designer for Batman V Superman. Says Patrick Tatopoulis: “With the Justice League coming, it influences my designs of the Batmobile, the Batcave, the Batwing. We are creating a world for Batman – every set, every prod. is real. We have to be ready for what’s next.” Of course, we won't know how exactly Justice League has influenced everything until the film hits theatres, but it's interesting to learn how important and integral it is to DC's EU. 6) Aquaman Gets An Elusive Introduction In Batman V Superman According to Snyder, we'll get a proper introduction to Jason Momoa’s Aquaman in the Justice League movies, but for now, we’ll get an “elusive” look at the King of the Seven Seas in Batman V Superman before he tackles his own solo film. Says Snyder: “I want all the other directors of the other films to be able to stretch their legs and do what they want, but at the same time there is a big interconnected universe.” 7) Directors Of Other Movies Will Be Able To Play In The DCEU “Sandbox” When Empire talked to producer Charles Roven, he explained the concept of the DC universe as a giant sandbox stretching around the world: “It has borders around it, but everybody gets to play in the sandbox. On Suicide Squad, David (Ayer) has a lot of specific control over his area of the sandbox. Even if he crosses the line a little bit, we see if we can push our boundaries back a little bit.” 8) Wonder Woman Will Start Shooting In London In The Fall And Justice League In The Spring Director Patty Jenkins’ is helming the standalone Wonder Woman movie and is already prepping in London for a shoot, which will start there in the fall. Meanwhile, Producer Deborah Snyder says that they're already doing soft prep for the Justice League movie, which will start filming in the spring. 9) This Batman Is Rougher, Tougher, Broken And Fucked Up We’ve heard multiple times now that Ben Affleck’s Batman is older and more seasoned. That he’s practically retired after years of fighting crime in the streets and alleyways of Gotham. We also now know from the Empire article that this Batman is in his mid-forties, broken and “fucked up.” This could explain some of the things we saw in the Comic-Con trailer, like Batman wielding a machine gun or branding his victims with a Bat insignia. He seems to have reached a point in his life where he’s starting to cross the line and do questionable things in his pursuit of justice. Ultimately, the appearance of Superman may have a profound impact on how he moves forward in his crusade. 10) Bruce Wayne Now Lives In The “Glasshouse,” A Lakeside Home Bruce Wayne is no longer living at Wayne Mansion, as we know it’s broken down and overgrown and not being used anymore. Bruce is still a billionaire playboy, who has the money to create his high-tech gadgets, including a grappling gun and grenade launcher, not to mention the Batwing and Batmobile, but he now lives in a smaller lakeside home, referred to as the “Glasshouse” by Snyder and his team. Since there is water in the Batcave, we might rightly assume that it’s located underneath this house and not at Wayne Mansion, though we do see that there are scenes in the burnt out husk of the mansion with both Alfred and Superman, so who knows. 11) In Batman V Superman, People Are Divided On How They Feel About Superman In Man of Steel, Superman was presented mostly as someone who was a hero, who battled General Zod and tried to save the people of Metropolis. The critique leveled at the movie was that the epic Battle of Metropolis at the end destroyed major parts of the city and killed thousands, yet it was never really addressed. Batman V Superman takes this criticism head-on and plays out what happens after the dust has settled. In his interview with Empire, Henry Cavill said: “In this movie, everyone has split into different directions as to how they feel about this alien. Some people love him, some hate him. Other people fear him. Is he a tyrant? It’s the human outlook on Superman, and that includes Lex and Batman, which is why such a major thing happens.” 12) Batman Is The Reason The Suicide Squad Is In Prison Following on from the idea that all the DCEU movies are connected, we also know that the Joker from Suicide Squad is the same Joker that has been antagonizing Batman for years. In fact, Snyder revealed to Empire that Batman is the one who “put those guys in prison.” With that in mind, it'll be interesting to see where the Suicide Squad movie falls into the timeline and whether it takes place before or after Batman V Superman, as we know that Batman cameos in the film and that Joker may show up in BvS. So, there you have it. 12 of the most important things we learned about Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice from Empire's coverage. Did we miss anything crucial? Sound off below and let us know!