"I want you to remember, Clark…in all the years to come…in your most private moments…I want you to remember…my hand…at your throat…I want…you to remember…the one man who beat you."
It was with those words early in the afternoon this past Saturday at San Diego Comic-Con that comic book history was made. Director Zack Snyder and Man of Steel star Harry Lennix took the stage in the San Diego Convention Center's famous Hall H and officially announced to thousands of fans in the audience that we will soon finally see the iconic DC Comics characters Batman and Superman in a film together. And even if you weren't on hand for the event in person - like we were - you can now live through the moment vicariously through the video above, courtesy of YouTube user Paopukitten.
The reveal was easily one of the biggest of the entire convention, and one of the many highlights of Saturday's programming schedule this past weekend. Not only did Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures share the stage to deliver early looks at anticipated titles like Gravity, The Lego Movie, and Godzilla, the day also saw the assembly of the entire X-Men: Days of Future Past cast - including Jennifer Lawrence, Nicolas Hoult, Michael Fassbender, James McAvoy, Sir Patrick Stewart, Sir Ian McKellen, Anna Paquin, Ellen Page, Hugh Jackman, Shawn Ashmore, Halle Berry, Evan Peters and Omar Sy - but also the announcement of the title for Joss Whedon's Avengers sequel: The Avengers: Age of Ultron.
We're still going to have to wait a couple years before the Superman/Batman movie comes out, as Warner Bros. has said that they will be releasing it at some point in 2015, but already pieces are starting to come together for the movie. The film will be a follow-up to Man of Steel and will feature many returning elements, including Snyder as director, David S. Goyer writing the screenplay, and actors Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Laurence Fishburne and Diane Lane. The role of Batman has not yet been filled and will undoubtedly become the most sought-after role in the industry when casting begins (and I bet agents are already getting on their phones).
What will happen plot-wise in the movie is currently a gigantic question mark. Goyer has said that the events seen in Man of Steel have Superman being the first real superhero that the world has seen, and that his presence inspires others to don masks and fight crime. But is it a positive or negative inspiration that gets Bruce Wayne to become Batman? It's certainly possible that they will play it as the Gotham City playboy being inspired by Superman's heroism, but what if instead he takes issue with the incredible destruction that the alien did in Metropoilis while battling Zod (one of the biggest points of contention about Snyder's film)? The context of the quote at the top of this article, which comes from Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns, doesn't exactly suggest that everything between the two superheroes is sunshine and rainbows.
But what do you think is going to happen in the Superman/Batman movie? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
