Apparently, this was not the Comic Con to miss.
As things were getting wrapped up at the Warner Brothers booth at the 2013 edition of the big geek-fest (trust me, I’d go if I could afford to), they intentionally left some of the best/biggest news for last — that there will indeed be another movie starring Henry Cavill as the man of steel, as well as co-starring a Batman whose identity we will not know for a long while. Since Christian Bale has announced his definitive retirement from the iconic role, we will have a new actor donning the cape and the cowl.
I would be more stoked about this announcement of a follow-up to Man of Steel, never mind the fact that two immensely popular DC superheroes will be sharing screen time, but I am a little worried/irritated by the fact that we will yet again undergo changes in the world of Batman. I was initially taken aback by changing out actresses for Rachel Dawes (dropping Katie Holmes and replacing her with Maggie Gyllenhaal was more or less a seamless transition, but this change was still noticeable in places and still a distraction for the first couple of viewings). Make no mistake, switching actors in a role of this caliber means a hell of a lot more than that. (No offense, Katie or Maggie — both of you were great, but let’s be honest, you’re not the centerpiece of that trilogy.)
Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy really struck the ‘holy trinity’ of the movie/entertainment industry’s biggest concerns — all three films were critical, commercial, and financial successes. To me, no one has done Batman better. Nor will this level of complexity and darkness be approached for a long, long time (if ever again). Nolan created true cinematic magic, and if you were to change out one of the most significant pieces of that magic trick, I believe the show could fall apart. Case in point — who the hell exactly follows up Bale’s brooding, somber Bruce Wayne/Batman?
And I know, it was pretty clear awhile ago that Batman wouldn’t ever be involving the charming Brit again — I’ve been prepared for a change for awhile. But I only assumed we’d have several, several years in between Bale’s departure and the Justice League film for all of us to kind of move on from that era.
I feel as if such an upcoming project were to reintroduce Batman to us, there would be some obvious issues. First of all, there’d be a whole new persona to get used to. We’ve spent nearly a decade gawking at how “accurate” Bale’s version was — I put that word in quotes because I believe he more or less redefined the character in his work. Second of all, a lot of complaints about how Man of Steel was tackled seemed to weigh on the side of either “too much” or “too little” exposition of its central steely character.
Those who thought the opening sequence was rushed ended up experiencing the rest of the story as far too bombastic and epic to really justify Cavill’s moodiness; those who thought there was a bit too much explanation as to who and why Superman is coming to be (on Earth, anyway) are probably going to have an even harder time coming to grips with what lengthy exposition is bound to be present in Man of Steel 2 (I’m going to call it that for now, who knows what this thing will actually be called in two years). In short, I just can’t see a situation that will not include some kind of background story for Batman as he gets into it with Supes.
…aaand I’m out. Peace, Gotham.
aw, dammit I wanted to meet Christian Bale, too!!! 😦
Look, please don’t get me wrong: I loved loved LOVED both franchises. I was among those who thought Snyder and Nolan really entreated Man of Steel with a power and grandeur that likely will go unappreciated until the sequel comes out. But hearing the news of introducing Batman NOW seems a little weird to me. I know talks of a Justice League movie are definitely occurring, and that’s exciting as all get-out. But I feel they are rushing this a little. But these are, obviously, just my initial and personal feelings. I want to hear from you.
What do you guys think? With Bale clearly out of the running for the Batman role again, how do you feel about someone else taking over? How do you think Superman and Batman will mesh in a movie (at least, this soon)? Do you think I’m just being a little too skeptical/critical too early? TOO SOON??? 😛
Whatever it is, I’d love to hear your thoughts!!!
It’s a bird, it’s a plane, no — it’s . . . . SuperBatman?? Wtf.. . . ?
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Thomas J 
I’m feel sorry about,that Christian Bale doesn’t plays Batman…and now that i know that Joseph Gordon-Levitt too failed for it,i have some doubts.We’ll have to wait and see,what they’ll do out of it.I only know that they already planned it in Man Of Steel and they gave a little hint. 🙂 The scene where Zod smashed the sattelite onto Kal-el…it worn the logo of the Wayne Industries. 🙂 And i hope Hans Zimmer makes the score again and uses the theme of “I Will Find Him”…i loved it. 😛
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Funnily enough this is what I recommended 😀
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How do you mean? Like, replacing Batman and introducing him into the MoS sequel..?
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I said the next film should introduce a DC character and the best choice would be a Batman/Superman film, there’s a wealth of comic material and it would lead into a Justice league film much easier than drawing in 5 origin films. Am not watching another origin film Tom, am just not 😀
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Time for me to start training for taking a stab at landing the role of Batman.
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Get it dude!!! Hahah
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oh but Adam, are you sure you have the growling voice to take on such a role? 😛
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I called it awhile ago that this is what WB would do and after the mixed reactions from Man of Steel, I was pretty positive this would happen. I really like the idea, but I just hope that it’s not Man of Steel 2 featuring Batman. It needs to be fully focused on the two, because I think Supes deserves his own sequel after this as well, especially with how they were building up his own Metropolis. That being said, I’m very curious as to how they go about it and who they cast as Batman, as he’s going to be an older dude if they follow The Dark Knight Returns story. So this doesn’t have to mean 50+, but I think that puts names like Armie Hammer and such out of the running for The Dark Knight. I’d love to see someone 40+ take on the cowl though, just like Craig did with Bond. Gives him more ruggedness and more experience. The plus is, with that storyline, we will hopefully avoid any more origin stories and just pick up with Batman 25+ years after he became Batman.
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Good points, I hope that they do something like that (older man cast for the role) so we get a sense that time has moved on. I think that would work pretty well. If they do another “origin” type story, I have a fear that’s going to come off really weird. I’m sure that won’t be the case though. I’m eager to see what happens. Figured I had to post some thoughts about that news, it’s definitely big!!!!!!
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Excellent piece Tom! I’m with you in regards to how this feels a little rushed. It sounds like they just want to be part of the Geek Rapture that 2015 will bring with the new Avengers and Star Wars VII, et al. And Nolan will only be “executive producer” for this one, and not producer or have a hand in the story conception (Snyder and Goyer doing the story; Goyer the screenplay.) I wonder, and worry, how Nolan’s lack of input (I guess he’s devoting all of his time to his own movie, Interstellar) will impact the sequel.
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Thanks Cameron, I’m wondering if Nolan having less of a say in the film might give it a lighter atmosphere, which is I think what most people were expecting MoS to be, but I’m definitely excited and curious to see what this will be with a different Batman. It could be a classic. I’m just thinking it will be a lot to take in in one movie: a sequel to MoS (already epic) and then intro-ing Batman. Guess we’ll have to wait and see !
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Hi Tom
I did think Man Of Steel would have benefitted from being more like the Dark Knight Trilogy and less like the Avengers, but I feel bringing Batman in may tarnish or even cheapen the legacy of the Dark Knght Trilogy. Dark Knight is much, well, darker whereas Man of Steel is more action (too much action, many would say). Not sure how they will fit together, but will be interesting!
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Yes, its going to be interesting seeing how the two worlds come together. I’m betting it’ll be a slight departure from Nolan’s, but if he’s in as producer, maybe not. I’m not sure, a little worried, but I’m sure it’ll be great! I definitely am looking forward to the idea!! Thanks for comments
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Personally, I’m psyched Tom. As long as they don’t treat it like a new Batman origin story, I’m all in. I’d love to see these two characters onscreen together, I like the fact that they’ll be facing off against each other… I’m down with this news, I think it will be great!
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its definitely exciting. I’m sure that whoever gets cast will be suitable, I guess its just happening sooner than I was expecting. And yeah I totally think it will be a great new story if it avoids the expo on characters we’ve already been updated on. And also, by 2015 we prob will be ready for the next step. Crazy stuff!
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Strong work. Part of me thinks that Warner Bros doesn’t have enough confidence in another standalone Superman movie so is injecting Batman to cover its bases and attract as wide an audience as possible. As for who’ll play Batman, the natural choice seems to be Joseph Gordon-Levitt if they’re going to stay close to the world that’s already been created. We’ll see.
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Thank you. I think I kind of ranted here. Lol
Joseph Gordon-Levitt would certainly be an interesting choice — I’d be game for that. Whatever happens, it’s going to be probably more controversial than what Man of Steel was. Don’t ya think?
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