The more news we hear about Zack Snyder’s Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice , the more it seems that the film is everything but a true sequel to Man Of Steel .
When it was first announced that there would be a sequel to Henry Cavill’s Superman version, fans were elated. However, after Warner Bros. announced that another one of DC Comic’s superheroes would be a part of the film — facing off both characters on the big screen for the first time ever — many began to wonder what Superman’s role in all of this would actually be.
Much of the hype related to Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice has been about the cast of new characters Snyder will introduce in 2016, beginning with the controversial choosing of Ben Affleck to play an “older version” of Batman, previously portrayed very successfully by Christian Bale in Christopher Nolan ‘s Dark Knight trilogy.
To say that the casting of Ben Affleck in Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice was not received well is an understatement, as fans flocked to social media to express their disappointment in WB’s choice of actor. Many believe that “Batfleck” — as Ben has been dubbed — is just not the right actor to portray the Caped Crusader.
After the hoopla surrounding Affleck’s casting died down a bit and fans had a chance to actually process the news, more casting news trickled in from the studio, including Gal Gadot’s as Wonder Woman, Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor, and Jeremy Irons as Alfred.
Many weren’t thrilled by those choices for Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice , either.
I shot this with my @Leica_Camera M Monochrom. #Batman #Batmobile #Gotham http://t.co/WPHKLxgBLM pic.twitter.com/p5DEf6fLzJ
— ZackSnyder (@ZackSnyder) May 13, 2014
But what about Henry Cavill and his Superman?
Not much has been discussed about what happens to Clark Kent’s persona, who we saw very briefly at the end of Man Of Steel with the implicit promise of more of his and Lois Lane’s story. Now, however, nothing is being suggested to lead us believe that the couple will have a prevalent role in Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice which, by the way, is a mouthful of a title.
During a recent discussion on Hollywood Babble-On , filmmaker Kevin Smith talked about the burning question regarding this sequel. Is this a true Man Of Steel 2 ?:
“They’re obviously beginning something, and there’s a stretch of these flicks. And so this is the beginning of the Justice League , as we all suspected as they were announcing that cast. We were like, ‘This is the beginning of a Justice League movie.’ From what I understand now, it’s no longer like, ‘This is Superman 2 .’ They’re not doing these things. They’re doing like, Here’s Man of Steel . Heres Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice .’ The next one is not like a sequel to one of the characters. They’re just going to keep building their universe for about five or six movies. But all of them, it’s supposed to tell one massive story, which is all Justice League oriented.”
Of course, nobody knows to what extent Smith is “in” regarding Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice , but he is close with Zack Snyder and has plenty of contacts not only in the movies business, but also in comics. Regardless, take his comments with the proverbial grain of salt.
Will we see the development of Clark/Superman’s character, then? At this point it’s too early to tell, but in Man Of Steel Snyder only scratched the surface by introducing a fledgling hero, struggling to belong and find his place in our planet. Now that he (sort of) knows who he is, the sky’s the limit as far as the arc of his character.
If Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice ends up being anything but a Man Of Steel sequel, millions of fans will be massively disappointed. But we will have to wait and see as none of the plot has been revealed, and we don’t know to what extent Henry Cavill’s Superman will appear in this sequel, which reportedly leads right into the much awaited Justice League .
[Image via Warner Bros.]