Comic-Con 2013: Warner Bros. Announces Batman/Superman Movie!
Saturday was a huge day for Hall H at San Diego Comic Con this year. To bring some up to speed, Hall H is the largest hall at the San Diego Convention Center and many of the biggest panels (now mainly dominated by movies and television) are scheduled within this location. There have been many big surprises and huge news revealed in Hall H in the past, but this year may just be one of the greatest and craziest days ever. I of course understand how hyperbolic that sounds, but given the number of announcements, the quality of all the footage shown, the energy coming from all the actors, producers, and directors on stage, and of course the energy coming from the crowd, it is hard to say that July 20th at Comic Con was something forgettable for those who waited hours to get into Hall H. One of the craziest announcements was that of a Batman/Superman movie being developed by WB, with director Zack Snyder and executive producer Christopher Nolan. Continue on to learn more about this big news.
I know I have jumped ahead of all the other panels that came out of the Warner Bros./Legendary Pictures presentation at Comic Con, but I will get to posting what went down there soon. For now, I just want to setup what happened with this huge announcement. Following the final panel from Warner Bros., which was for their upcoming film Edge of Tomorrow with Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt, moderator and Nerdist Chris Hardwick informed an excited audience that he had to announce the arrival of Zack Snyder. Snyder walks onto stage, accepting a roaring applause (the divide on Man of Steel was not too present among these fans), with a bit of news on his mind. Snyder explains that he wanted to search for a new special something to put in his next film involving Superman and figures he had an idea.
Zack Snyder then explains that it would be better if he had someone else give a dramatic reading of a quote that would reference his idea. This leads to the arrival of Harry Lennix on stage. Lennnix starred as General Swanwick in Man of Steel, and is probably best known from The Matrix sequels (by this audience), among his many other roles. Snyder gives the floor to Lennix, who then delivers this passage from Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns:
“I want you to remember, Clark, in all the years to come, in all your most private moments, I want you to remember my hand at your throat. I want you to remember the one man who beat you.”
This leads to a gigantic roar from the audience, only to become even more ecstatic, once the (temporary) film logo hits the screen for a few seconds. And that’s what happened, Batman and Superman will be in some sort of movie together, which will arrive in the summer of 2015.
Here is the official press release from Warner Brothers:
The current hit, “Man of Steel,” has taken in more than $630 million at the worldwide box office to date, and climbing. Along with its star, Henry Cavill, the upcoming film brings back Amy Adams, Laurence Fishburne and Diane Lane. The new Batman has yet to be cast.
Snyder is co-writing the story with David S. Goyer, who will then pen the screenplay. Production is expected to begin in 2014, with an anticipated release date in Summer 2015.
Silverman stated, “Zack Snyder is an incredibly talented filmmaker, but beyond that, he’s a fan first and he utterly gets this genre. We could not think of anyone better suited to the task of bringing these iconic Super Heroes to the screen in his own way.” Kroll added, “We are thrilled to be back in business with Zack and his team on this next movie. The success of ‘Man of Steel’ is a wonderful testament to the love and support that both fans and new audiences, worldwide, have for these characters. We are very excited to see what Zack has in store for all of us.”
Diane Nelson, President, DC Entertainment, noted, “Superman and Batman together on the big screen is a dream come true for DC fans everywhere. All of us at DC Entertainment could not be more excited for Zack’s continuing vision for the DC Universe.”
Zack Snyder, who made a surprise appearance at Comic-Con today, breaking the news to audiences there, later said, “I’m so excited to begin working again with Henry Cavill in the world we created, and I can’t wait to expand the DC Universe in this next chapter. Let’s face it, it’s beyond mythological to have Superman and our new Batman facing off, since they are the greatest Super Heroes in the world.”
The new film brings back Charles Roven and Deborah Snyder as producers. This time, Christopher Nolan and Emma Thomas are serving as executive producers, along with Benjamin Melniker and Michael E. Uslan.
Thomas offered, “Whilst our ‘Dark Knight’ trilogy is complete, we have every confidence that Zack’s fresh interpretation will take the character in a new and exciting direction. His vision for Superman opened the door to a whole new universe and we can’t wait to see what Zack does with these characters.”
The film is based on Superman characters created by Jerry Siegel & Joe Shuster, and Batman characters created by Bob Kane, published by DC Entertainment.
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Aaron is a writer/reviewer for WhySoBlu.com. Follow him on Twitter @AaronsPS3.
He also co-hosts a podcast, Out Now with Aaron and Abe, available via iTunes or at HHWLOD.com.
I’m excited!