To this very day, Man of Steel arguably remains a polarizing film. Though some take issue with its bold take on the Superman mythos, others appreciate its big swings and less-than-traditional approach to the origin story of Clark Kent (Henry Cavill). With that in mind, many have clamored for Man of Steel 2 since the film's debut in 2013, but according to one DC insider, that was never part of the original plan because there was a broader franchise idea in mind. Prolific DC animation director and storyboard artist Jay Oliva opened up on social media and explained:
Man of Steel was never meant to have a sequel because it was supposed to be chapter 1 of a 5 chapter story. Notice how BVS follows exactly after MOS? It's like book two of Harry Potter.
So, while DC and Warner Bros. did seem to have a grander vision for Superman that extended beyond the events of the character's origin movie, that didn't necessarily mean a direct sequel was in the cards. The Man of Steel story continued into Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (which included sequences from Man of Steel told from a different perspective) and then into last year's Justice League. The story was supposed to continue as it did, but it seems that Man of Steel was never meant to become a full-blown franchise in its own right.
Of course, Jay Oliva's tweet does not entirely explain how the continuity of the Superman story arc was supposed to play out. Luckily, the filmmaker elaborated further later in his Twitter thread and confirmed that the story of Henry Cavill's Superman was meant to play out over the course of Man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Justice League, Justice League 2, and an unconfirmed fifth movie. No direct Man of Steel sequel was allegedly in the mix; just a five-movie arc building off of the foundation established in the 2013 origin movie.
None of this necessarily means that the idea of the second Man of Steel movie has not been floated by fans and DC insiders alike. We have heard on-again, off-again rumors of Man of Steel 2 over the course of the last few years, with prominent directors like X-Men: First Class' Matthew Vaughn potentially stepping in to direct. DC's slate remains in a state of flux after a recent regime change, so we will have to wait and see what happens with the current big screen Superman and his corner of the DC Extended Universe.
For those of you who are looking for more information on anything and everything related to the DCEU world, make sure to stay tuned to CinemaBlend for more updates. Looking ahead to the rest of this year, you can catch James Wan's Aquaman when the Arthur Curry (Jason Momoa) solo movie premieres on December 21.
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