Man of Steel and the DC Cinematic Universe: 5 Ways Forward

Superman is back in a big, bad way. Even with the official Warner Bros. estimates coming in at a little below the numbers that exhibitors have been calling out all weekend long, the film will have broken the record for the biggest opening weekend ever in June, in addition to another $12 million in corporate screenings on Thursday that don't even count toward the mark. The film took the #1 spot everywhere this weekend with a gross of $71.6 million in the 24 overseas markets in release. That made for a worldwide total of $196.7M in its first 4 days, meaning that it will have made its production budget back likely before next weekend even hits, and the standard 50%-65% dropoff for a big, new release will still give the film a $50 million domestic second weekend or so. And so the conversation begins about sequels, spinoffs and other DC Universe films not specifically tied to Superman. So...where do they go from here? In the earliest days of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it was pretty clear what they were building to, and how; Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury would be the man to assemble the Avengers. The DC Universe, though, doesn't really have someone who serves that kind of function in their comics. Do you use Snapper Carr? Maxwell Lord? ...Yeah, you see the problem. Obviously the plan is to build to Justice League sooner or later, but...how? And what will come next?

Path #1: Man of Steel 2 This seems to be the immediate next step for Warner Bros., as a new report indicates they're shooting for a 2014 release date. That probably won't happen--hell, even Man of Steel itself was delayed almost a year--but Warners has proven the ability to quickly turn around great films with Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings/Hobbit films hitting almost annually. If there is no Justice League film planned for 2015, one of the big "tentpole" spots that had been tentatively marked out for that movie could be ceded to Man of Steel 2 now that Superman is clearly a force to be reckoned with again. Of course, there's the outside chance that while shooting Man of Steel, they filmed more than we thought--and that there's some material for a sequel already in the can. If there's a finished script and a post-credits stinger already floating around and ready to go, there's a remote possibility that the rumored 2014 date could be done...but the last thing you want is to rush it and get a substandard Superman movie right after having resurrected the troubled franchise.

Path #2: Wonder Woman This could be done either at the same time as Man of Steel 2 or before it; either way, we already discussed today that we feel a Wonder Woman movie is both long overdue for the credit of the character and also a sensible way to build to Justice League, since the Trinity all need to be established with the casual moviegoer before the JLA team up. Batman, though, really doesn't need another reboot just yet. Having him show up in a P.S. for another movie or even appear for the first time in Justice League would be plenty to establish him with moviegoers who already know who he is.

Path #3: The Flash/AquamanThe Wrap recently reported that Aquaman could be in development, and Man of Steel writer David S. Goyer has already mentioned the possibility of his shelved script for The Flash being pulled down dusted off. Either one of these films could provide some stunning visuals and cool, weird concepts under the guiding hand of the right writer and director, so it wouldn't be surprising to see them go that way after setting the table with Snyder's bold visuals on Man of Steel. Aquaman in particular could be useful in that he's a character widely viewed as a joke by people who don't read comics, a status not particularly helped by years of persistent punchlines on Entourage. Making a film that makes him cool could be tricky but, if successful, could be the kind of rehab job that proves a brilliant investment for Warners, taking a nearly useless piece of intellectual property and turning it into a valuable asset. Path #4: The Television Universe Marvel's got Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Who's to say Warner/DC won't develop a TV series that could tie into Man of Steel, too? We've already discussed why it would be nearly impossible to do on Arrow, but the last two years have seen projects like Deadman, The Spectre, Booster Gold and Wonder Woman enter various stages of development for the company. Some of those are unlikely (let's face it--Man of Steel guarantees that Wonder Woman will hit the big screen before it ever goes to TV) but some are seemingly perfect for unifying the universe; hell, that's essentially the function the last volume of Booster Gold's comic book served for four years. And, y'know...Booster had an Easter egg in Man of Steel.

Path #5: Justice League This one's the least wise and, if you ask Zack Snyder, the least likely. The director has said that Superman has to be a little further on up the road before he could lead the Justice League, and most fans agree. Plus, the last script that was turned in was reportedly a mess, and they've let that guy go and are asking Man of Steel's Goyer to take a swing at the thing. The last time they tried to get the project off the ground--with director George Miller and a handful of relatively unknown actors in the lead roles--it seemed like it was all an act, getting together a band that would never play a concert just to say they tried, and to get Bryan Singer to drop his option on a Superman Returns sequel because nobody much wanted that. Still, Armie Hammer has expressed an interest in playing Batman in the next iteration of the Justice League. The Lone Ranger star is ready to explode, and reportedly looked good in the suit. Could he end up cast before any of the solo movie leads?