By John Nugent | Posted 27 Jan 2016

Empire’s Batman v Superman issue goes on sale tomorrow (Thursday) in the UK. As well as two covers to choose from – or some beautiful Jim Lee-illustrated artwork, if you’re a subscriber – the issue features extensive coverage from the set of Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice, with plenty of fascinating insights from director Zack Snyder.

Notably, Snyder recounted to us about the time he went to Christopher Nolan, director of The Dark Knight trilogy and executive producer on Man Of Steel, about his plans for the next DC film. Specifically, that he intended to pit Superman against Batman – and that Batman would essentially be the bad guy.

“You tell me if you don’t want me to do it,” Snyder told Nolan. After a silence, Nolan said, “Well, we don’t own these characters. When you’re done making Batman movies, someone else will [make them].”

“I think he found it a little bit hard,” Snyder admits. “I would feel the same way.” Batman was last seen on screen in Nolan’s 2012 epic The Dark Knight Rises, in which the character appeared to retire, and which many considered to be the perfect finale for the character.

But with Nolan’s blessing, Snyder has set about creating what he sees as a very intimate battle between two superheroes. “In a lot of ways Batman v Superman is a very personal concept,” he insists. “It is just two people trying to understand each other’s point of view.”

This is just the tip of the iceberg for our Batman v Superman coverage – be sure to get yourself to all Bats and Supes-affiliated newsagents and pick up a shiny new issue from Thursday January 28. Or for access via a tablet, click here for a digital subscription.