Voice of Reason #15: Crafting the Justice League Part II

"Okay, let's settle this with a staring contest"

If haven't heard by now, where have you been? Man of Steel director Zack Snyder has unveiled plans to continue his Superman success story with a sequel - a sequel that features none other than the Caped Crusader himself, Batman.

Cue the second blog post in a month the discusses Man of Steel, a sequel and crafting the Justice League...

In a Warner Bros. film panel at San Diego Comic-Con on Sunday night, Zack Snyder confirmed that plans for a sequel to this summers' big hit Man of Steel will include everyone's favourite throat-cancer ridden superhero, Batman.

Scheduled to release in 2015 (is there any film that isn't coming out in 2015?), this Superman/Batman crossover is exciting news for fans of DC Comics and their extensive roster of heroes and villains. The Man of Steel and the Caped Crusader have met numerous times in comic books and cartoons but never have the two been united together on the big screen - until now.

The image Snyder and co. teased at Comic Con

Personally, this is great news; I'm a big fan of the Batman films (well, Burton's and Nolan's at least) and I did enjoy Man of Steel. It wasn't perfect, there was a fair amount I thought could have been done better, but on the whole, I did think it was a good starting point for an new, 21st Century Superman franchise.

Given the huge financial and critical success lauded upon the Dark Knight trilogy (2005-2012), uniting Superman and Batman together on the big screen is a ballsy decision from DC - reintroducing the World's Greatest Detective once again so soon after The Dark Knight Rises might turn audiences away.

It is however, the right decision. No-one wanted to see another stand-alone Batman adventure/origin story and DC needed a way to start piecing together the Justice League puzzle. By putting the two together, they have simultaneously made Man of Steel 2 one the most anticipated films currently in development and begun crafting a Justice League franchise to rival Marvel's interlinked Marvel Cinematic Universe.

With both Avengers: Age of Ultron and Man of Steel 2 (not a confirmed title) both pencilled in for Summer 2015, these two superhero behemoths are set to go head-to-head in cinemas across the world. The prospect is pretty mouth-watering for movie-goers to say the least. Personally, I am pumped for both. Obviously, right now, we know much more about Avengers: Age of Ultron that we do about this Superman/Batman crossover film but nevertheless, I am interested to see what happens with both. It'll be really excting to see which film generates the most buzz in the lead up to their release dates. Not only that, but they're going to have to top Star Wars VII too...

Getting off track a little there so back to it. It was not confirmed whether Henry Cavill will reprise Superman and there was no mention given to who would don the cape and cowl for Batman (shotgun not Joseph Gordon-Levitt). Despite this, the Internet has pretty much gone into meltdown over the news that DC Comics are bringing together their biggest stars for one movie. Who knows where this'll take the series from there?

Rumours are currently circulating that Man of Steel 2 will be succeeded by The Flash in 2016 and Justice League in 2017. This hasn't been confirmed right now but it is cool that things could be pressing forward on a JLA movie in the near-future. We'll just have to wait and see what pans out!

Let me know what you think about today's Superman/Batman team-up news in the comments section below. Are you more excited to see Superman/Batman or Avengers: Age of Ultron? Let me know your thoughts below!