With “Man Of Steel” now in theaters, the weekend will find everyone discussing Zack Snyder‘s job on the Superman reboot, which even on amongst the Playlist stuff has caused a wide range of reactions. But the one thing we can mostly all agree on is that while the execution may rankle some, the ideas contained within the film are bold and brave tweaks on the established canon. In short, Superman has been updated for our times and as writer David Goyer suggests, his story won’t just be an American one, but a global one.
Speaking with Bleeding Cool, Goyer unsurprisingly remained cautious in discussing where future “Man Of Steel” sequels or a “Justice League” movie would go. But it seems the next twist on Superman tradition may be on the patriotism that has defined his character since day one. While he calls a Kansas farm his home, in today’s world, an alien from another world, which seemingly unstoppable powers, on American soil and in league with the military…well, that could make others nervous…
“Obviously, Zack and I have had conversations…but there would be a cause and effect. And that would extend to the collateral damage that happened, and to what other countries feel about the fact Superman calls America his home. Man of Steel doesn’t exist in a vaccum,” Goyer explained.
While much has been made of the slight Lex Luthor and Bruce Wayne easter eggs in “Man Of Steel,” the idea here is the Superman is the first hero that’s out in the public eye, though his appearance opens the doors for others. “In our world, the ‘Man of Steel’ world, Zack has gone on record saying that we’re implying there are other superheroes in this world. But I don’t know that they’ve come forward yet. The idea is that Superman is the first one. There might be people helping people, but not in costumes, and that Superman comes forward and announces himself to the world. In him announcing himself, he’s the one that changes things.”
This is a pretty smart idea, one that allows Warner Bros. to start from ground zero in re-introducing the DC Comic world of heroes, while giving them strong motivation as well and interesting backstories. But this all depends on how ‘Steel’ does this weekend, but Goyer has already been putting ideas together that lead to what is essentially “Justice League.”
“It would be disingenuous to say Warner Bros doesn’t hope that this would be the starting point for a shared universe. And Zack has said that Bruce Wayne exists in this universe. It would be a different Bruce Wayne from Chris’ [Nolan] Dark Knight trilogy, and it would be disingenuous to say that Zack and I haven’t had various conversations on set, around ‘what if’ and ‘moving forward’. That having been said, it’s all going to depend on the next few weeks,” he told HeyUGuys. “Warner Bros has hopes that there will be more ‘Man Of Steel’ films, and that this will be the beginning of a shared universe. We could meet Batman, or Wonder Woman, or the Justice League in these movies. But they all hinge on box office reception. If that happens, I would be happy, and nervous, to dive in.”
So, are they headed in the right direction? Let us know below.