A shock wave rattled the comic book movie world on Friday night as Warner Bros. Entertainment pushed the Batman vs Superman showdown in Man of Steel 2 from its summer 2015 release date all the way back to May 2016.
Man of Steel 2 was originally slated for release on July 17, 2015, filling the mid-July void left by Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight films. In order to meet that upcoming date, director Zach Snyder would have had to commence production and photography within the next one to two months. That production has now been moved into the second quarter of this year at the earliest.
The new release date for Man of Steel 2 is May 6, 2016, a spot already loosely held by Marvel Studios for what will be their second Phase 3 Cinematic Universe film following Ant-Man in July 2015, and a date that has served Marvel well for all of their Iron Man films and the first Avengers film. Now that Warner Bros. has formally moved into Marvel’s coveted space, the ball is in Marvel’s court to see if they’ll blink and shift to another date or go toe-to-toe with the heavyweight challenger.
Stepping in to take Man of Steel 2’s vacated summer 2015 slot is Peter Pan from director Joe Wright.
Rumors have been circulating over the past one to two weeks that Snyder and Warner Bros. might shoot Man of Steel 2 and a rumored Justice League film back to back in order to help reel in costs on what’s sure to be an expensive endeavor. It’s still a rumor, but the message is clear that Warner Bros. is aiming for something “bigger” from their DC Cinematic Universe.
“We are happy to take advantage of these coveted summer dates, which are perfect for two of our biggest tentpole releases,” Dan Fellman, Warner Bros. president of domestic distribution offered regarding the release date move in a statement. “We share the fans’ excitement to see DC Comics’ most popular figures, Superman and Batman, together on the big screen for the first time, which will now be arriving in theaters in May 2016. Peter Pan has delighted people of every generation for more than a century, so we are thrilled to bring him back to the screen next summer for today’s moviegoers.”
“We are happy to take advantage of these coveted summer dates, which are perfect for two of our biggest tentpole releases,” Warner Bros. president of domestic distribution Dan Fellman said in a statement. “We share the fans’ excitement to see DC Comics’ most popular figures, Superman and Batman, together on the big screen for the first time, which will now be arriving in theaters in May 2016. Peter Pan has delighted people of every generation for more than a century, so we are thrilled to bring him back to the screen next summer for today’s moviegoers.”
Man of Steel 2 will feature Henry Cavill as Superman, Ben Affleck as Batman and Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman. Amy Adams, Laurence Fishburne and Diane Lane from Man of Steel are also confirmed to be returning for the sequel.
