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Is WB Going to Give ‘Man of Steel’ the ‘Black Widow’ Treatment?

By Reggie's Take on August 26, 2015

After Warner Brothers announced its official slate of DC movies through the year 2020 it also announced that they would release a standalone Batman film and a sequel to Man of Steel, but has that now changed?

When the Man of Steel hit theaters it received mixed reviews from both critics and fans, but was still able to be considered successful earning &668 million at the box office giving Warner Brothers a jumping off point for its DC Extended Universe.

Audiences will get to see Henry Cavill’s “Superman” return this March when he takes on Ben Affleck’s “Batman” in “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” and other then the two “Justice League” movies in 2017 and 2019 the ‘Man of Steel’ may not be seen in his own movie for sometime.

When new rumors recently began circulating that George Miller, Mad Max Furry Road director, was in talks to direct the “Man of Steel 2” it increased interest for a sequel. Now some new reports believe that because Warner Brothers does not have a “Man of Steel” sequel officially on their DCEU schedule that Warner Brothers is putting any future solo Superman movies on “permanent hold.”

So what happened with George Miller? According to reports Warner Brothers is in talks with George Miller to direct a DC film, but its no guarantee that it will be “Man of Steel 2”. Warner Brothers won’t give Miller free reign and want to be in agreement with his vision in whatever DC film he decides to direct.

This brings us back to “Man of Steel 2” and what exactly WB means by putting a potential sequel on “permanent hold”? To be honest no one knows exactly. Warner Brothers could have any number of reasons as to why they would put the Man of Steel on the back burner.

Warner Brothers may feel it’s more important to focus there attention on the movies they have announced released dates wanting to ensure they succeed considering the majority of the heroes will be making there theatrical debut for the first time.

Reggie’s Take:
If Warner Brothers and DC are actually putting one of their most marketable and recognizable characters on hold does it mean they have concerns with the “Superman” franchise?

I think Warner Brothers does have some reservation about the ‘Superman” character for the big screen, but won’t freely admit it. At the same time Warner Brothers would rather focus their attention on other DC properties and if a good “Man of Steel 2” story comes along with a director who’s right for the project I don’t think they would hesitate on moving forward with another movie.

If you look at the success Warner Brothers has had going back to the 1980’s in the superhero genre it’s obvious they have a better comfort level in the “Batman” character rather then “Superman”. Does that mean “Superman” is less of a quality character then “Batman”, no. It just means that Warner Brothers feels they have had better success and return on their investment from “Batman”.

So if Warner Brothers is serious about putting a hold on any “Man of Steel” sequels, what does that do for this incarnation of the character in WB’s DC Extended Universe? In the short term nothing. We’ll still get to see “Superman” in the upcoming “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” as well as the two “Justice league” movies.

Warner Brothers is more interested in seeing more of Affleck’s “Batman” then they are of Cavill’s “Superman”. We know that Affleck is getting his own solo “Batman” movie and will most likely get to direct it. There are also the rumors that Affleck may hit the mother load with his own “Batman” trilogy and if that turns out to be the case, Warner Brothers maybe wanting to focus there DCEU more around “Batman” then “Superman”.

I’m of the opinion Warner Brothers might be looking to use “Superman” much in the same way Marvel has used “Black Widow”, by using the character in other movies to help tie their extended universe together thus helping boost audience interest in some of the other movies that could struggle at the box office. The big difference is “Superman” has gotten his solo movie, where “Black Widow” has not.

My take on all of this may turn out to be wrong or just partially correct, who knows. What I am sure of is Hollywood is unpredictable. If Warner Brothers was confident with the “Superman” character I think we would of heard of a firm date for the “Man of Steel 2” already and less talk of a new “Batman” trilogy.

Check out Warner Brothers and DC’s schedule below.