July 20, 2013 by Paul Curtin
With The Avengers and everything else Marvel touches being such a massive success for them in recent years and them now owning Comic-Con, rival comic book publisher DC has been trying for some time to get their own team of superheroes together in a Justice League movie.
Everyone knows that Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy is still by far the best superhero story to hit theaters to date. But with both Nolan and star Christian Bale stepping away from the Batman franchise, the fate of the Caped Crusader (along with the rest of the DC universe) hasn’t been clear.
Nolan leaving Batman, but producing Man of Steel, lead to many rumors that he would be in charge of a Justice League movie and that Bale or even Joseph Gordon Levitt might be returning to play the Dark Knight. It doesn’t look like any of that will be happening; however, at Comic-Con today, Zack Synder returned to reveal some very big news.
Synder took the stage today to officially reveal that he is in fact making another Superman film, as many expected after its box office success. However, Synder’s announcement of a Superman sequel wasn’t the big news, and it was Harry Lennix reading this line that stole this year’s Con: “I want you to remember, Clark, in all the years to come, in all your most private moments, I want you to remember my hand at your throat. I want you to remember the one man who beat you.”
The line read by Lennix above is from legendary comic book writer Frank Miller’s “The Dark Knight Returns” and is Batman speaking to Superman at the end of the story.
While the line from TDKR was used, it was made clear that the upcoming film will not be an adaptation of Miller’s story. Instead, Synder has explained that they will just be using it to help them tell the next story.
Details are still very slim with even the title not being revealed, though it seems like most of the cast of Man of Steel will be returning as stated in an official press release from WB today that you can read below. Henry Cavill will be returning as the Man of Steel, but no mention at all of who will be playing the new Batman.
The Superman/Batman comeback is set for release in Summer 2015, around the same time that Avengers: Age of Ultron will be hitting theaters. Talk about an epic superhero showdown!
NEXT DC SUPER HERO MOVIE IN PRE-PRODUCTION
Director Zack Snyder Unites Superman and Batman in One Explosive New FilmBURBANK, CA, July 20, 2013 – On the heels of the worldwide success of “Man of Steel,” director Zack Snyder is bringing together the two greatest Super Heroes of all time—Batman and Superman—for the first time on the big screen. The announcement was made today by Greg Silverman, President, Creative Development and Worldwide Production, and Sue Kroll, President, Worldwide Marketing and International Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures.
The current hit, “Man of Steel,” has taken in more than $630 million at the worldwide box office to date, and climbing. Along with its star, Henry Cavill, the upcoming film brings back Amy Adams, Laurence Fishburne and Diane Lane. The new Batman has yet to be cast.
Snyder is co-writing the story with David S. Goyer, who will then pen the screenplay. Production is expected to begin in 2014, with an anticipated release date in Summer 2015.
Silverman stated, “Zack Snyder is an incredibly talented filmmaker, but beyond that, he’s a fan first and he utterly gets this genre. We could not think of anyone better suited to the task of bringing these iconic Super Heroes to the screen in his own way.” Kroll added, “We are thrilled to be back in business with Zack and his team on this next movie. The success of ‘Man of Steel’ is a wonderful testament to the love and support that both fans and new audiences, worldwide, have for these characters. We are very excited to see what Zack has in store for all of us.”
