Zack Snyder says Batman v Superman is essentially Man of Steel 2

As he continues his promotional duties for the 10th annual Doritos Crash the Super Bowl competition, director Zack Snyder sheds more light (via Canoe) on the ever-evolving saga of whether or not Warner Bros. Pictures is developing a proper solo sequel to 2013’s Man of Steel beyond Superman’s (rather prominent) appearances in Batman v Superman and the two-part Justice League movies that Snyder is spearheading.

“I think in a way ‘Batman v Superman’ is ‘Man of Steel 2,'” said Snyder. “‘Justice League’ is kind of the transcendent, knights-of-the-round-table of the story. It’d be interesting to think about what a standalone Superman movie might be.”

While he doesn’t shoot down the idea of another solo Supes outing, Snyder’s comments certainly cast doubt that its on the forefront of his mind or the minds of the team spearheading the DC Extended Universe. While that might be a bummer to those who enjoyed Man of Steel, let us not forget that Henry Cavill’s Superman will likely play a central, even Arthurian role in that round table Snyder describes.

“We really have to figure out the why of them, and I think that we have,” muses Zack Snyder of the twin Justice League films he’s helming next. “That’s the one thing that’s cool to me about ‘Batman v Superman,’ it’s all about the mythology of these two massive icons. And I think that’s compelling.”

Juggling all aspects of the interconnected DC universe sounds like a tough juggling act for Snyder, who only a little over a decade ago was making the low-budget Dawn of the Dead remake in Toronto. Looking back, he doesn’t consider it that strange to have been handed such immense creative responsibility in the ensuing years.

“At that point I was really into (Frank Miller’s comic) ‘The Dark Knight Returns,'” said Snyder of his early zombie wrangling days. “I don’t know that I thought about it in those terms, but if you told me that I might make a ‘Justice League’ movie, I wouldn’t think that that was weird. But I don’t think I would realize what it meant to pop culture the way it has struck pop culture right now.”

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice stars Henry Cavill in the role of Clark Kent/Superman, and Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne/Batman. The film also stars Gal Gadot as Diana Prince/Wonder Woman, with Amy Adams, Laurence Fishburne and Diane Lane returning from Man of Steel, and Holly Hunter in a role newly created for the film. Jason Momoa will also be making an appearance as Aquaman. The film is set to open worldwide on March 25, 2016.

Dawn of Justice screenwriter Chris Terrio is currently penning The Justice League Part One for a November 10, 2017 release, while The Justice League Part Two will be ready for battle on June 14, 2019.