Henry Cavill‘s Superman will fly solo again in a sequel to “Man of Steel” going into active development at Warner Bros., a person familiar with the project told TheWrap.
Released in 2013, produced by Christopher Nolan and directed by Zack Snyder, “Man Of Steel” earned $668 million at the global box office and launched the ambitious DC Cinematic Universe. This summer’s “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,” which picked up where that film left off, has pulled in $872 million.
Despite Superman’s battle with Batman, DC has been silent on a sequel to “Man of Steel” featuring Superman solo, leading many frustrated fanboys to believe that another film wasn’t going to happen. But a person close to the project told TheWrap that Superman is a top priority for the studio and getting the character right for audiences is of tantamount importance.
Warner Bros. did not immediately return a call for comment Monday.
Back in October 2014, while speaking at Time Warner Investor Day, Warner Bros. CEO Kevin Tsujihara announced a slate of nine films with members of DC Comics the “Justice League” including The Flash, Aquaman, Wonder Woman, and Cyborg. “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” set the stage for the new films.
“Suicide Squad,” which opened over the weekend and features a cavalcade of DC villains — and brief appearances by Ben Affleck‘s Batman — pulled in a record $135 million.
Cavill, who played Superman in “Man of Steel” and “Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice,” will next be seen in 2017’s “Justice League.”
The “Man of Steel” sequel is a long way from getting a release date. ‘”Wonder Woman” is slated for June 2, 2017, followed by “Justice League” on Nov. 17, 2017. “Aquaman” is currently slated for July 27, 2018. A standalone “Batman” film does not yet have a date, but will likely come before the Superman sequel, the person familiar with the project said.
Warner Bros. has two untitled DC films to be released on Oct. 5, 2018 and Nov. 1, 2019, but hasn’t said what they will be.