Batman v Superman: What We Know So Far About Dawn Of Justice
That’s no longer the case. After months of reports, rumors and speculation, the dream of a 2015 Justice League movie fell apart. But in its place, rising from the ashes like a phoenix, is an entirely different project for comic book fans to be excited for: a Superman/Batman movie in 2016.
The film has been officially titled Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and, collecting all of the news that has come out since the new movie – and sequel to Man of Steel - was announced, we've broken down absolutely everything we know about the project thus far. When is the movie coming out in theaters? Who is directing? Who will star? What’s the story going to be about? Find all of the answers to those questions and more below!
Zack Snyder & David Goyer
Given that Man of Steel made more than $660 million worldwide,
there was very little chance that director Zack Snyder and screenwriter
David Goyer wouldn’t return for the sequel, and that assumption was
proven true when Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice was announced at Comic-Con 2013
with Snyder directing and working with Goyer to develop the story.
While Goyer wrote the original drafts of the screenplay, eventually
Academy Award winning Argo screenwriter Chris Terrio picked up the pen. Production has begun, with the finished product scheduled hit theaters on March 26, 2016. (Much earlier than we originally thought.) What's more, Snyder is also now officially attached to direct the upcoming Justice League movie, which Batman v Superman will directly lead into.
The Story
When Warner Bros. announced that they would be moving forward with a
Superman/Batman movie, they didn’t include a plot synopsis telling us
what the movie is about – but the title does provide us with an
interesting hint. While we expect that they will end up fighting for the
same side by the end of the story, the title of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
suggests that the Dark Knight and the Man of Steel will be starting the
film as enemies. In the footage shown at San Diego Comic-Con 2014, it was suggested
that the Man of Steel has as big a beef with the Caped Crusader as the
latter does with the former – but the reasoning is still unclear. How
the story will deal with all of the major supporting characters also
remains a mystery.
Superman
Following in the footsteps of Marvel Studios and starting to build a larger cinematic universe, Warner Bros. is making Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
both to introduce a new take on the Caped Crusader and to build on what
has already been established with the Man of Tomorrow. As was expected,
Henry Cavill will be returning
to play Clark Kent/Superman and will continue to learn how to live up
to his destiny while also trying to find his place on Earth with
humanity. Something tells us that the hero will probably also have to
deal with the fact that Man of Steel not only had him killing
his enemy, General Zod, but also leveling half of Metropolis in the
battle beforehand. There have been reports suggesting that the film will
feature scenes where people actually protest against the existence of Superman on Earth – though, at the same time we have also heard that the film will feature the unveiling of a statue
dedicated to the superhero following his world-saving efforts.
Basically, expect the world to be split on the opinion of whether or not
Superman is a positive or negative presence on our planet.
Batman
It only took about a month after Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
was announced for Zack Snyder and Warner Bros. to find the actor they
wanted to play the Dark Knight, and the name they officially landed on
was Ben Affleck.
As had been assumed beforehand, the casting confirmed that the new
version of the Caped Crusader would be a veteran hero, and he has since
been described as "tired and weary and seasoned." The look of the new Batsuit
looks like it was ripped right off the pages of Frank Miller’s The Dark
Knight Returns, so don't be too surprised if the attitude matches the
aesthetic.
The Batmobile
Directors Tim Burton and Joel Schumacher brought us Batmobiles full of
flash and style, and Christopher Nolan made one that was essentially a
tank, but for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, director Zack
Snyder has found a design that basically splits the difference between
those two styles. Pictured above is the brand new model, which was released after months of teasing.
Some have objected to the presence of a giant gun turret on the front
given Batman’s rules against killing, but who says that it actually
fires lethal ammo? Maybe it’s loaded with rubber bullets. Regardless, we
can’t wait to see this thing tearing through the streets of Gotham and,
perhaps, Metropolis. And seeing it parked in front of this potential stand in for Wayne Manor!
