When Man of Steel arrived, fans were promised that it was the start of a DC cinematic universe to rival Marvel's. Seemingly everyone involved with the film offered quote after quote assuring the public that Man of Steel would pave the way for future films involving other heroes from the DC Universe. At the 2013 San Diego Comic-Con, the announcement was made that Man of Steel 2 would be more than just a sequel. Instead, it would offer the first official live-action meeting of the characters that DC built their publishing empire on, Superman and Batman. So, here, in one handy location, is everything we know about Batman vs. Superman so far.
Henry Cavill will return as Superman but there's a new man behind the Dark Knight's cowl. Ben Affleck will play Batman/Bruce Wayne. Affleck fits the mold of the "older and wiser" Batman who "bears the scars of a seasoned crimefighter" that Warner Bros. was looking for, which neatly sidesteps the need to re-establish Batman's origins on screen once again.
Zack Snyder is co-writing the story with David Goyer (who will then pen the screenplay), which is said to draw some inspiration from The Dark Knight Returns, the classic story by Frank Miller, Klaus Janson, and Lynn Varley which climaxed with an impressive street fight between Batman and Superman. While there are likely going to be some similarities, Goyer has stated that the film won't be an adaptation of that work. It seems possible that some of their conflict may stem from the controversial ending to Man of Steel, as Mr. Goyer promised, "we will be dealing with this in coming films...He isn't fully-formed as Superman in [Man of Steel], and he will have to deal with the repercussions of that in the next one."
While no villains have yet been announced, the LexCorp easter eggs in Man of Steel would seem to indicate that there are immediate plans to introduce Lex Luthor in some capacity. David Goyer has stated that "Lex [Luthor] in this world is more a Bill Gates or Rupert Murdoch like character. He's probably a multi, multi billionaire. He's not a crook." While this quote comes from an interview that was conducted well before the Batman vs. Superman announcement, Goyer's vision for Lex would certainly put him in the same social circles as someone like Bruce Wayne. Luthor seems like such a likely contender as an on-screen presence in Batman vs. Superman that it has led to actors like Mark Strong commenting on the matter, as well as unsubstantiated "dream casting" rumors involving Breaking Bad's Bryan Cranston.
The film is currently in pre-production, with filming scheduled to begin in 2014. Amy Adams, Laurence Fishburne, and Diane Lane will also reprise their Man of Steel roles. Batman vs. Superman is produced by Charles Roven and Deborah Snyder. While there has been no official announcement, it seems likely that Hans Zimmer will return as composer, given his history with both characters. We can only assume that Batman vs. Superman is just a working title, and that something less on-the-nose will replace it in the next few months.
Batman vs. Superman arrives on July 17, 2015.
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... Besides the Ben Affleck as Batman part ... It all sounds GREAT!
If they left Batman out and replaced Zack Snyder this would be a great movie!
Agreeing with the "it sounds great except for Ben Affleck" thing. He doesn't fit the mold of an "older and seasoned Batman" let alone just "Batman."