Superman to face Batman in Man of Steel sequel, Zack Snyder confirms

http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/2013/jul/21/superman-batman-man-steel-sequel

Version 0 of 1.

A sequel to Man of Steel is in the works and will feature Superman facing off against Batman, director Zack Snyder has announced. Snyder, who directed the British actor Henry Cavill as Superman and his alter ego Clark Kent, made the revelation at San Diego's annual Comic-Con and received thunderous applause from an audience of more than 6,000. The film would be released in 2015, he said. After announcing the plan to bring the two superheroes together, Snyder issued a statement via Warner Bros saying the two would be fighting each other and conceded this might surprise some. "Let's face it, it's beyond mythological to have Superman and our new Batman facing off, since they are the greatest superheroes in the world," said Snyder, who has been confirmed as director of the as-yet unnamed sequel.

While both Superman and Batman are superheros in the DC universe, they have been portrayed as nemeses in DC's Dark Knight comics, from which Christopher Nolan adapted his Batman film franchise starring Christian Bale. Nolan will serve as executive producer to the sequel, Warner Bros. said.

The studio is banking on the success of other recent films that have paired up heroes from the comic book universe, such as Disney's Marvel superhero ensemble The Avengers in 2012, which made $1.5bn at the worldwide box office. Nolan's 2012 film The Dark Knight Rises, with Bale as Batman for the third time, brought in more than $1bn. Snyder's dark reimagining of Superman in Man of Steel has grossed $621m worldwide and with Nolan as executive producer rumours had been circulating that Batman and Superman could soon appear together on screen.

Cavill would reprise the role of Superman in the sequel and Man of Steel stars Amy Adams, who plays Lois Lane, and Laurence Fishburne would also return, Warner Brothers said. The film is slated for release in summer 2015 but there has been no word on who will play Batman. Bale has previously shot down rumours he would play the masked hero again. Greg Silverman, president of creative development at Warner Bros, said the studio could not think of any director better suited to bringing Superman and Batman together. "Zach Snyder is an incredibly talented filmmaker, but beyond that he's a fan first and he utterly gets this genre," Silverman said. Warner Bros, a unit of Time Warner Inc, showcased a number of upcoming films on Saturday at Comic-Con including Seventh Son, 300: Rise of an Empire, Godzilla and The Lego Movie, which will bring together Superman and Batman in animated Lego form.