Doomsday & Beyond Returns!

We’re back. With a new logo, a new design, and some big news: the Superman/Batman movie is happening. Set to release in 2015, it’s a dream come true.

     Saturday at the San Diego Comic-Con, at the end of the Warner Bros. exhibit, surprise guest sat Zach Snyder took to the stage and revealed the release of another Superman film. He then called out friend and actor in Man of Steel Harry Lennix who read a passage from The Dark Knight Returns: “I want you to remember Clark, in all the years to come and in your most private moments, I want you to remember the one man who beat you”. The lights faded and an image of the Man of Steel movie logo appeared on screen, followed by a Batman symbol, resembling The Dark Knight Returns logo, appeared behind it. Its official.

     Of course, this is the greatest thing to happen in recent memory, probably since the announcement of the Man of Steel movie. Finally after 74 years of these two iconic characters, appearing in comics and cartoons, side-by-side, we get to see them together on the big screen. Unfortunately, this poses many new questions, and many new complications. The biggest being: who will play the Dark Knight? Another is who will be the villain worthy of challenging the World’s Finest? Another: what is the potential of this film? If done correctly, it has the makings to be the greatest superhero film of all time.

        General Zod posed a big threat to Superman, and along with his Kryptonian minions, the world too. A villain capable of battling both Superman and Batman has to pose just as big a threat, but perhaps someone of Zod’s power is too threatening. Darkseid is better left for the entire Justice League, Braniac, for another Superman film down the road, and any Batman villain is out of the question as this is still a Superman film first. The front-runner, of course, is Lex Luthor. He has all the motivation, after the destruction caused in the first one, to start his campaign against the Man of Steel, and he has the money and the resources to still make a good villain. He is also on par with the characteristics of Bruce Wayne to be an adversary to both heroes. And based on the amount of LexCorp teases in Man of Steel, he appears to be the obvious choice. There’s one question pretty much answered.

       The main actors up for the role of Batman include: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Armie Hammer, and our boy, Christian Bale. Now Bale has stated in the past that the Dark Knight trilogy was good and that making any more would be too greedy. Having said that, he has also stated that given the chance to reprise his role, he would. As of now he is a mystery, but certainly the actor fans want back in the cape and cowl. Gordon-Levitt would be the wrong choice, not only because of the presence he brings, which would be more suited to be Nightwing, but also because when fans want Batman and Superman together, they want it to be Bruce Wayne and Clark Kent. The characters that have a history together as adversaries, friends, colleagues, teammates. As for Hammer, nothing against him as an actor, I just think that any “random” face in the Batman costume would be a mistake. I could sit here all day and write about the dozens of qualified actors suited to be the next Batman, but deep down I know its Bale or bust. It has to be.

       I thought about what the two movies would be like. The one with Bale as Batman, and the one without. The movie without would still be great. I’m sure whoever plays Batman would do a great job, but in the backs of everyone’s minds is the thought of what if? What if Bale was Batman again? The movie wouldn’t have the same mental, emotional impact of fans.

      Then I thought about Bale and Cavill, together. The Batman we’ve come to love since 2005, and the best modern representation of Superman to date. Even if this Batman character isn’t the same one from Nolan’s trilogy it still has to be Bale. With Bale, this movie jumps from blockbuster epic to one of the greatest movies in history, up there with Back to the Future and The Dark Knight (purely opinion of course).

      Only time will tell, and Warner Bros. is asking the same questions we are, and I’m sure they’re having just as much difficulty making up their minds. In the meantime, Warner knows what they have just announced to their fans, mentally. It wont be long before more information is revealed.

And for that information, stay right here at Doomsday & Beyond.