Sources are claiming that Warner Bros. is eager to get Man of Steel 2 off the ground and is targeting a 2020 release.
The scoop comes to us via the El Fanboy Podcast, where Revenge of the Fans Editor-In-Chief Mario-Francisco Robles said that his friends inside the studio have tipped him off about this new direction for the beleaguered DCEU. If he turns out to be right, then it’s looking like the film will provide the basis for ongoing future plotlines and hopefully set a new tone that’ll wash the unpleasant taste of Justice League from audience’s mouths.
This news arrives on the heels of the revelation that Flashpoint has been cancelled. Or at least, it won’t be adapting that particular arc, anymore. Most had assumed Warner Bros. would use the time traveling shenanigans of the plotline to do a soft reset on their universe, X-Men: Days of Future Past-style. But, with persistent rumors that Ben Affleck has had his fill of wearing the cape and cowl, that’s been put on ice in favor of a straight-up Flash solo movie.
So, if this Man of Steel 2 rumor pans out, the DCEU slate will see Aquaman in December, Shazam! in April 2019, Wonder Woman 2 in November 2019 and the Superman sequel in summer 2020. But that’s not all. Though Warner Bros. are famed for announcing projects that go nowhere, somewhere over this time period we should also see that Flash solo movie, some kind of film featuring Harley Quinn and whatever the Martin Scorsese Joker project ends up being. Busy times, indeed.
As yet, the particulars of Man of Steel 2 are unknown. We can say with some certainty though that Henry Cavill is set to reprise the role given that both he and Warner Bros. are eager for his contract to be extended, and there’s also been repeated back and forth interest in Mission: Impossible – Fallout helmer Christopher McQuarrie taking up the directing reins. As for a plot, well, Brainiac is right there and has never been done properly on screen before, but again, nothing concrete has been revealed just yet.
Still, if this rumor is true, and WB really is hoping to get Man of Steel 2 into theaters for 2020, then we should start to learn more soon.