DCEU: Ranking the rumored movies in development

2. Man of Steel 2

There may be no better way for the DCEU to save itself than to return to its beginning. Man of Steel was released in 2013 and was followed by 2016’s Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice. And while neither film really hit its targets with a wide audience, director Zack Snyder did give us Henry Cavill as Kal-El.

It seems odd that a true sequel to Man of Steel has not progressed past the rumor stage. Drawing comparisons to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there was only a two year gap between Iron Man and Iron Man 2. Only two years separated Thor and Thor: The Dark World while there was a three year period from Captain America: The First Avenger to Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Obviously it is difficult to compare the DCEU and MCU considering the contrasting success of the movies and overall strategy towards world building. But a Thor trilogy existing before a second Superman movie is surprsing.

Directors Matthew Vaughn and Christopher McQuarrie have both been rumored to direct a sequel but no formal announcement has been made for the project. Cavill himself mentioned he had an idea for the film inspired by the Superman: For Tomorrow story from the comics. It has also been reported that Cavill and Warner Bros disagree on the actor’s star power, salary, and how much say he should have in any Superman project

Man of Steel 2 can help Warner get the character back on track after the inconsistencies of Snyder’s Man of Steel and BvS and Superman’s appearance in Justice League. It’s clear they don’t want a brooding, depressed Superman. Just as Clark was resurrected in Justice League the film franchise can be reborn with a proper sequel. The film should restore Superman as the center of the DCEU and a beacon to other heroes.