As we all know, Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel appears to hold the key to a shared DC movie universe, with Warner Bros. seemingly holding off on making any firm decisions about its future DC plans until the studio’s accountants have tallied the box office returns for June’s hotly-anticipated Superman reboot. However, it’s also common knowledge that since the box office success of Marvel’s The Avengers, WB has been looking to unite its own stable of superheroes for a Justice League movie, and it seems that Zack Snyder may have emerged as the studio’s first choice to tackle the ensemble.
300 and Watchmen director Snyder has been rumoured for the director’s chair on Justice League on several occasions now, and according to Gangster Squad helmer Ruben Fleischer, it’s already a done deal. When asked by Screen Crush if he had any interest in directing the DC team-up, Fleischer responded that he’s definitely keen to direct a superhero movie but it won’t be Justice League, as “that’s something that Zack Snyder is going to wind up doing.”
Assuming Man of Steel is a success, Snyder would seem like the ideal choice for Warner Bros., especially now that Christopher Nolan has officially distanced himself from any involvement. However, the director was remaining tight-lipped about the studio’s plans post-Man of Steel in an interview with Empire, although he did acknowledge the franchise expectations for the reboot, as well as confirming that Man of Steel will include nods to a wider DC world: “We didn’t design the movie like Batman [i.e. as a trilogy] but I don’t think anybody would say you design a Superman movie as a one-off… I have been making references to the DC Universe, just to let you know that world is out there…”
Man of Steel is set for release on June 14th, with a cast that includes Henry Cavill (Immortals) as Clark Kent / Superman, Amy Adams (The Fighter) as Lois Lane, Russell Crowe (Les Miserables) as Jor-El, Michael Shannon (Boardwalk Empire) as General Zod, Kevin Costner (Hatfields & McCoys) as Jonathan Kent, Diane Lane (Secretariat) as Martha Kent, Laurence Fishburne (Contagion) as Perry White, Ayelet Zurer (Angels & Demons) as Lara Lor-Van and Antje Traue (Pandorum) as Faora.
Originally published April 23, 2013. Updated November 6, 2019.
