Warner Bros. Puts 'Man of Steel' Sequel Into Active Development (Exclusive)

Henry Cavill‘s Superman will fly solo again in a sequel to “Man of Steel” going into active development at Warner Bros., a person familiar with the project told TheWrap.

Released in 2013, produced by Christopher Nolan and directed by Zack Snyder, “Man Of Steel” earned $668 million at the global box office and launched the ambitious DC Cinematic Universe. This summer’s “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,” which picked up where that film left off, has pulled in $872 million.

Despite Superman’s battle with Batman, DC has been silent on a sequel to “Man of Steel” featuring Superman solo, leading many frustrated fanboys to believe that another film wasn’t going to happen. But a person close to the project told TheWrap that Superman is a top priority for the studio and getting the character right for audiences is of tantamount importance.

Also Read: Every Superman Movie Ranked, Worst to Best

Warner Bros. did not immediately return a call for comment Monday.

Back in October 2014, while speaking at Time Warner Investor Day, Warner Bros. CEO Kevin Tsujihara announced a slate of nine films with members of DC Comics the “Justice League” including The Flash, Aquaman, Wonder Woman, and Cyborg. “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” set the stage for the new films.

“Suicide Squad,” which opened over the weekend and features a cavalcade of DC villains — and brief appearances by Ben Affleck‘s Batman — pulled in a record $135 million.

Cavill, who played Superman in “Man of Steel” and “Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice,” will next be seen in 2017’s “Justice League.”

Also Read: 'Suicide Squad': These Could Be Some of Its Many Deleted Scenes (Report)

The “Man of Steel” sequel is a long way from getting a release date. ‘”Wonder Woman” is slated for June 2, 2017, followed by “Justice League” on Nov. 17, 2017. “Aquaman” is currently slated for July 27, 2018. A standalone “Batman” film does not yet have a date, but will likely come before the Superman sequel, the person familiar with the project said.

Warner Bros. has two untitled DC films to be released on Oct. 5, 2018 and Nov. 1, 2019, but hasn’t said what they will be.

'Man of Steel 2': The Top 5 Superman Villains We Hope To See in the Sequel

TheWrap exclusively broke the news that a "Man of Steel" sequel is now in active development. But who should he fight? Here are our picks.
General Zod is likely off the table because he died in "Man of Steel" and came back as Doomsday in "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" -- only to die again. He'll probably stay dead this time. Here are five other options.
5. Parasite has the ability to temporarily absorb the energy, knowledge and super-powers of another being by touch, making him a tough adversary for the "Man of Steel." The most well-known comic book incarnation of the Parasite is Rudy Jones. In 2009, The Parasite was ranked as IGN's 61st Greatest Comic Book Villain of All Time.
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4. Lobo is an alien born on earth -- in Mexico -- and works as an interstellar mercenary and bounty hunter. He was introduced -- although initially rarely used -- as a hardboiled villain in the 1980s, and remained in limbo until his revival as an anti-hero biker with his own comic in the early 1990s. In the comics, Lobo has already beaten Superman twice.
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3. Metallo is a radioactive cyborg who depends on Kryptonite as his energy source, making him a very dangerous enemy of Superman. Kryptonite radiation can kill the man of steel through exposure alone, although Metallo's cybernetic enhancements make him very physically powerful. He is a former soldier who was used in experimentation by the United States Army.
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2. Bizarro is the perfect imperfect duplicate of Superman, acting as his antagonist or ally depending on the situation. Originally created to be Superman's clone by Lex Luthor, his poorly constructed genetics caused him to become the opposite. For example, he has freeze vision instead of heat vision.
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1. Brainiac is considered Superman's greatest foe after Luthor. The super-intelligent alien from the planet Colu has advanced mental abilities that allow him to work through robotic and even human proxies. It can be difficult to tell whether you're dealing with the original Brainiac, or one of his drones. His obsession with knowledge has led him to shrink down many cities to bottle size for transportation on his Skull Ship -- including Kandor on Krypton.
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