Three years since 2013’s Man of Steel unwittingly kickstarted a critically panned cinematic universe of superhero films set around the characters of DC Comics, a mooted sequel is apparently still in the works. Talk of a sequel to Man of Steel has fizzled after it was first announced back 2014, and the ending of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice seemed to confirm that a sequel would not be going forward. But now it’s come to light that the sequel’s back in development.
The new announcement makes sense, as it’s all about the money in Hollywood. Upon its release, Man of Steel grossed $668 million worldwide, almost tripling its $225 million budget.
Someone at Warner Bros. saw those numbers and said, “What are we waiting for? Let’s pay someone to make Man of Steel 2,” before he actually saw Batman v Superman, and with it (spoiler alert!) Superman’s death.
BvS cliffhanger mystery solved
The gravity-defying soil in Superman’s grave suggested that maybe he wasn’t as dead as the Kryptonite spear that went right through his chest would have you believe, and I suppose an entire new Film being made about him proves once and for all that he is still alive, otherwise it’ll be pretty boring. The reading of his will, followed by an hour and a half of Metropolis skyscrapers getting rebuilt, followed by the credits. BvS was actually supposed to be the sequel to Man of Steel that just happened to contain Batman alongside Supes.
Zack Snyder, director of both, even said, “in a way Batman v Superman is Man of Steel 2.”
The word is that this new Man of Steel sequel will be a standalone venture, and that the studio’s main priority is getting the character right. This is a good sign. This puts the new movie in good stead. I’m glad they want to get the character right in this one, because they’ve cocked that up in the other two.
So far, the colourful, all-American hero has been painted in such a bleak and depressing light. He’s a symbol of hope, or at least the “S” on his chest is, so where’s the hope in Snyder’s grim pair of movies? Let’s put some hope in this new one please, Warner Bros., thank you.
Release date could be a while off
There’s no word yet on when it’ll be out, but Warners’ DC release schedule is jam-packed up the wazoo with upcoming films as it is.
With Wonder Woman, Justice League, The Flash, Aquaman, Shazam, Justice League 2, Cyborg, and Green Lantern Corps on the way over the next four years, Man of Steel 2 has two empty slots in the schedule that it could potentially fill: 5 October 2018 or 1 November 2019. It might take up another date entirely, it’s too early to tell, but for now, it’s safe to say it’s a while away.
