Following the news early this month of Mission: Impossible – Fallout director Christopher McQuarrie choosing to pass on Man of Steel 2, the recent talk around Superman’s next film has suggested that we shouldn’t hold our breath for any further announcements. But while writer and producer Geoff Johns hasn’t exactly made any bombshell statements about a potential sequel to 2013’s Man of Steel, at least he’s indicated that the character is still in the hearts and minds of the team at Warner Bros.
In an update to Collider, the writer of the upcoming Wonder Woman 1984 implied that the studio has no intention of letting one of their most popular heroes disappear from the big screen.
“Look, working with Walter Hamada and Toby [Emmerich] over there at [Warner Bros.] Pictures they feel the same way. Everyone loves Superman and knows how important Superman is. It’s not in my wheelhouse now to really say anything beyond that but…I got into this business because of Superman: The Movie because Dick Donner directed what I think is still an amazing superhero film but an amazing film — it’s an American film, it’s a classic.”
Such is Johns’ admiration for the 1978 Richard Donner film that he even drew inspiration from it when working on Diana of Themyscira’s next outing, explaining:
“We always go back to it. Patty Jenkins and I went back to it when we were writing Wonder Woman 2, you always go back to it and look at that movie. He captured the spirit of Superman so well. It’s what got me into this.”
Sure enough, while Henry Cavill’s three-film run in the DCEU has been consistently divisive and not always very profitable, the character of Kal-El still has more than enough star power to suggest that Warner Bros. will keep giving him new things to do. Granted, this may not take the form of a Man of Steel 2 anytime soon, but at least Supes might be showing up in next year’s Shazam!