After all of the rumors of script rewrites, cast additions, cameos expanded to supporting roles, and an overall troubled production, it has finally come to this: Warner Bros has pushed Man of Steel 2/Batman vs. Superman/Screw It, Let’s Just Call It The Justice League At This Point back nearly a year to May 6, 2016. Probably a wise move given that the film’s previous 2015 release would have been the same summer as Marvel’s Avengers: Age of Ultron.
Warner had originally hoped to release Man of Steel 2 to get Batman and Superman in the same film and have it serve as the lead-in to the planned Justice League movie. Unlike Marvel’s Cinematic Universe, DC’s big team-up movie would introduce the other heroes and give them spin-off movies of their own later on (except for The Flash who is still supposed to get a movie of his own before Justice League). Since then we have heard news that Wonder Woman will appear in Man of Steel 2 as, possibly, more than just cameo role. It’s worth wondering if this called for a rewrite to expand her role. Argo screenwriter Chris Terrio recently took what was pitched as a touch up look at David Goyer’s screenplay, but perhaps it will turn out to be more than that. Warner has also reached out to various actors including Dwayne Johnson and Jason Momoa about possible roles though no specifics were given, not to mention the Nightwing casting rumors that have been quiet for a while now. All of these moves suggested a somewhat haphazard production in contrast to Marvel, whose biggest setback was replacing Edward Norton with Mark Ruffalo for the role of Bruce Banner.
Production for Man of Steel 2 has been pushed back to later this year. Meanwhile Man of Steel 2‘s original release date will now go to Pan, a prequel to the Peter Pan story starring Hugh Jackman and written by Jason Fuchs. Instead of Avengers: Age of Ultron and Ant-Man, Man of Steel 2 will compete with an untitled 2016 Marvel project.
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