Controversial opinion incoming, but I don’t think there was a good live-action Superman movie before Man of Steel. Sure, the Christopher Reeve films are iconic, but they strip away the nostalgia and they’re slow, cheesy, and full of unfunny slapstick. It wasn’t until Zack Snyder’s effort that we got to see Supers done right in an incredible-looking story about him struggling with his powers, alien heritage and responsibilities to humanity.
The years after its release saw it being knocked about by squeaky-voiced YouTube critics, but it’s now firmly on its way to being critically rehabilitated and will probably go down in history as one of the better superhero movies of the 2010s. All of which means it’s a shame we never got a proper Man of Steel 2. Sure, Batman v Superman and Justice League continued the story of Snyder’s Superman, but it’d have been nice to have seen Henry Cavill in one more solo adventure.
Right now, the character is in the hands of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker director J.J. Abrams and writer Ta-Nehisi Coates, who are developing a project starring a black actor as Superman. This should be interesting, but it’s definitely a swerve away from Cavill’s movies.
So, what does Snyder make of this reboot? Well, in an interview with the Radio Times, he gave his take and said the following:
“My feeling is that I love JJ [Abrams], I love what he’s done in the past. I’m interested to see what happens, it’s a bold and cool and probably long overdue move. But I love Henry [Cavill] as Superman, of course I do. He’s my Superman. … I’m not really involved in any of the decision-making at Warner Brothers in any way, so I guess for me it’s just wait and see what they do with this and how it manifests itself. But on the surface, it seems interesting.”
I doubt we’ll see anything concrete on the Abrams Superman movie until next year, with the pic likely targeting a 2024 release. But in the near future, Snyder’s hotly-anticipated zombie heist film Army of the Dead will premiere on Netflix on May 21st. The hype is building that something truly special is coming, so be sure to catch it later this month.
