Last we heard of DC and Warner’s progress on Man of Steel 2, the sequel was effectively on hold with Mad Max: Fury Road director George Miller seemingly circling the superhero flick. Indeed, Supes’ next much-touted solo outing has been gaining a lot of traction of late, as reports surfaced that Brainiac could filter in as the lead antagonist. Pretty exciting, right?
Well, before you pencil in Man of Steel 2 into Warner’s sprawling slate of superhero films, director Zack Snyder revealed in an interview with Canoe that next year’s Dawn of Justice acts as a follow-up to the 2013 blockbuster in all but name, teeing up the ensemble Justice League film in the process.
Of course, Snyder himself makes mention of a potential Superman standalone feature in the wake of the two-part Justice League showdown, indicating that Man of Steel 2 is not strictly speaking off the table; it’s simply not a priority right now as Warner sets about establishing the lesser-known characters of the title motley crew.
“I think in a way Batman v Superman is Man of Steel 2,” the filmmaker tells Canoe. “Justice League is kind of the transcendent, knights-of-the-round-table of the story. It’d be interesting to think about what a standalone Superman movie might be.” Talking of the two-part Justice League movie that Snyder will direct, he added the following about the challenges involved with that: “We really have to figure out the why of them. And I think that we have. That’s the one thing that’s cool to me about Batman v Superman, it’s all about the mythology of these two massive icons. And I think that’s compelling.”
From Aquaman to Wonder Woman, Flash to Green Lantern, the next three to four years will see a myriad of DC characters grace the silver screen all as part of Warner’s ambitious Expanded Universe. Much like how the Avengers helped generate more interest in Thor: The Dark World and Captain America: The Winter Solider, it’ll be fascinating to see how this trickle down effect pans out for the standalone features. As for Henry Cavill’s Superman, it seems DC and Warner have put his next solo outing on the back burner.
Henry Cavill will next don the famous symbol of hope when he locks horns with Ben Affleck’s Caped Crusader in Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice. It’ll open on March 26, 2016.
