Even if you haven't seen Justice League yet, it's no secret that after perishing in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Superman was resurrected in last month's DC Extended Universe team-up flick. With the world saved yet again and Kal-El/Clark Kent resuming both his heroic and civilian lives, the stage is set for the benevolent Kryptonian to be revisited in the near future. One of the ways that might happen is in Man of Steel 2. Back in March, it was reported that Kingsman: The Golden Circle director Matthew Vaughn was being eyed to helm the sequel, and it was later confirmed that he's talked with Warner Bros about the project. As things stand now, according to comic book writer and Vaughn's collaborator, Mark Millar, Vaughn currently isn't lined up to direct Man of Steel 2 yet, but that doesn't mean that the opportunity is entirely off the table either. Millar recently explained:
He and I are massive Superman fans. I mean, we worship Richard Donner. We love the Christopher Reeve movies. He actually phoned me up a few months ago, and he said, "Hey, listen, DC, they're very interested in me doing Man of Steel 2. Do you want to come in and do this?' And I was like, 'I'm exclusive to Netflix for years. We can't even have that conversation.' And he was like, 'Oh, man. What's the chances of this?' And then he kind of drifted away. And he's attached himself to a couple of things and all that. Y'know so, it's one of those things that might, I mean- if somebody phones Matthew up and offers him enough money it could all change tomorrow.
Mark Millar's years of comic book writing experience (including numerous Superman stories, like Superman: Red Son) combined with Matthew Vaughn's own time working on superhero movies (like X-Men: First Class and Kick-Ass) would have made for an interesting combination when putting together Man of Steel 2. However, as Millar noted while appearing on the El Fanboy Podcast, Netflix's acquisition of Millarworld means that Millar is tied exclusively to the streaming service in the coming years, leaving him unable to make any DC movie contributions. Since then, Vaughn has been keeping busy keeping himself busy with other projects, but he hasn't discounted working on Superman's next live action standalone adventure or any kind of DC movie... assuming the amount written on the paycheck is satisfying.
During the week of Justice League's release, producer Charles Roven noted that there is currently isn't a Man of Steel 2 script, although various story ideas have been floated. Now following Justice League's mixed critical reception and underwhelming box office performance, DC Films is going through a restructuring, and while movies like Aquaman, Shazam and Wonder Woman 2 will come out as planned, it remains to be seen if Man of Steel 2 and other select movies will continue to be developed or if they'll be set aside.
You can see Superman back in action in Justice League, which is still playing in theaters. Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for more updates on Man of Steel 2, and don't forget to look through our DC movies guide to learn what other projects this franchise has in development.
