As if we needed any more proof that Superman (Henry Cavill) wasn't going to stay dead in the DCEU.
A Man of Steel sequel is going into active development at Warner Bros., a source close to the production has informed The Wrap. While the studio did not return calls for clarification, The Wrap is reporting that a solo Superman movie is a "top priority" for Warner, and that restoring the character's reputation -- and getting him right this time -- is of "tantamount importance" to the DCEU, as a whole.
When last we saw Henry Cavill's Kal-El, he was being buried beneath the ground, having sacrificed himself to stop Lex Luthor's Doomsday creation at the end of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. His sacrifice inspired Bruce Wayne to recruit metahumans for a planet-protecting mission... which will be explored in Zack Snyder's Justice League.
But we knew that Superman wouldn't stay dead. For starters, a few grains of dirt moved off of Superman's casket at the very end of the movie. Additionally, Cavill was featured prominently in the Justice League artwork that Warner Bros. brought to San Diego Comic-Con in July.
Giving Superman a solo sequel makes all the sense in the world. All of the individual Justice League members are receiving standalone movies, from The Flash and Aquaman to Wonder Woman. Superman started this phase of the DCEU with Man of Steel, but his sequel was quickly co-opted to include Ben Affleck's new Batman for Dawn of Justice. Then, he'll be part of next year's Justice League. But there are plenty of interesting Superman storylines that can be explored from the DC comic books. And there likely are hundreds of filmmakers who'd love a crack at telling a Superman story, much like Snyder once took over for Christopher Nolan in the realm of Batman stories.
The next natural question becomes, "When might this movie actually happen?" As The Wrap points out, Warner Bros. and DC have a full slate of movies on its release calendar already, and making room for Man of Steel 2 won't be so easy. They still want to date Ben Affleck's solo Batman movie, and they have plans for movies as far out as 2019 (and 2020, if you really want to invest in those tentative announcements). Right now, there are untitled DC superhero movies down for Oct. 5, 2018 and Nov. 1, 2019. Could one of those hold Man of Steel 2?
We'll keep you posted on any developments, but it looks like Henry Cavill can pop some champagne, as he'll stay very busy for the next few years!
