Comic-Con is in full swing, and while there are about a million little tidbits photos to post, here are two of the biggest reveals of the weekend so far. Warner Bros. is going ahead with a ‘Man of Steel 2’, however this time Superman will be teaming up with The Dark Knight! In a move that will apparently lead the way to a full blown Justice League film, the next Superman film will have Batman as his (apparent ally). See the Warner Bros. press release below.
Rumors have already begun swirling that this new Bat/Supes film will not follow along the lines of ‘World’s Finest‘ but more along the lines of the Frank Miller, Klaus Janson, Lynn Varley 1998 epic ‘The Dark Knight Returns‘.
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns is a limited series of comic books comprising “The Dark Knight Returns”, “The Dark Knight Triumphant”, “Hunt The Dark Knight” and “The Dark Knight Falls”. The comic books were written and drawn by Frank Miller, and were originally published in 1986 by DC Comics under the title Batman: The Dark Knight. The series was later compiled into a graphic novel. When the issues were released as a collected edition later that year, the story title for the first issue was applied to the entire series. The Dark Knight Returns tells the story of Bruce Wayne who at 55 years old returns from retirement to fight crime and faces opposition from the Gotham City police force and the United States government. A sequel written and illustrated by Miller, The Dark Knight Strikes Again, was published in 2001.
In other awesome news Marvel has announced that The Avengers 2 will be called: “Avengers: Age of Ultron”!!
Who is Ultron you ask? Ultron is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character initially appeared in an unnamed cameo in Avengers #54 (1968), with a first full appearance in Avengers #55 (1968). Ultron was created by writer Roy Thomas and artist John Buscema. In 2009, Ultron was ranked as IGN’s 23rd Greatest Comic Book Villain of All Time.
“Age of Ultron” is a 10-issue limited series comic book crossover storyline published by Marvel Comics, that involves the return of Ultron and his conquest of the earth. The event was published between March and June 2013 and features a storyline by Brian Michael Bendis. Artist Bryan Hitch provided the art for issues one through five, and Brandon Peterson for issues six through eight. Other artists who contributed to the series include Carlos Pacheco and Joe Quesada, the latter of whom drew part of the final issue. Marvel has stated that all art for the series was completed before it was solicited, ensuring deadlines are met and that there will be no more than thirteen tie-ins to the four-month event. Age of Ultron is also intended to set up “Wave Two” of the Marvel NOW! event, particularly the Avengers A.I. series.
Warner Bros. Press Release:
On the heels of the worldwide success of “Man of Steel,” director Zack Snyder is bringing together the two greatest Super Heroes of all time—Batman and Superman—for the first time on the big screen. The announcement was made today by Greg Silverman, President, Creative Development and Worldwide Production, and Sue Kroll, President, Worldwide Marketing and International Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures.
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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