When you sit back and realize that it’s been nearly eleven years since the direct-to-video line of DC Universe animated films kicked off, it really puts in perspective how quickly time flies by. But what’s even crazier is that the movie that got the ball rolling – Superman: Doomsday – was adapted from the same source material that one of Warner Bros. Animation’s next offerings will be as well, that being The Death of Superman.
Of course, we’re going even deeper into the material this time around, with the filmmakers not condensing a three-part epic into one feature. Instead, this particular film will essentially allow for what made up the first act of Superman: Doomsday to breathe, effectively letting us savor the relationship between Clark Kent and Lois Lane, and most likely topping the battle we saw between the Man of Steel and the Kryptonian killing machine in the previous flick.
Giving us a better idea of what to expect now is a behind-the-scenes featurette set to be included on the Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay Blu-ray (seen above), which contains keen insight from the filmmakers, as well as some words from key cast members themselves. What’s more is that fully animated scenes are on display, not just storyboards as can sometimes be the case with these things.
Still, it’s obvious this won’t be a strict adaptation of the classic graphic novel, because we have the A-listers of the Justice League going toe-to-toe with Doomsday, for starters. If you’ll recall, the brute mopped the floor with a bunch of C-listers in the comic, so it makes sense the creative minds behind this project utilize characters more familiar to general audiences like Batman, Wonder Woman, the Flash, etc.
In addition to that, the heroes are wearing New 52-inspired costumes, thus keeping with the continuity established by Justice League: War and its subsequent sequels. Personally, I don’t mind that because I’ve always felt the New 52 Superman suit adapts well to animation, so I’m excited to see it on screen yet again.
Currently, The Death of Superman lacks a release date, but a July or August debut is most likely. Its followup, Reign of the Supermen, won’t drop until 2019.
