As far as Batman v Superman is concerned, we’ve heard a lot about the former and not so much about the latter, but Badass Digest has a rundown of what Supes is up to based on a script draft by Chris Terrio written just prior to shooting. Needless to say, spoilers below.
For those afraid the Dark Knight would overshadow his rival, the site says the new film is very much a sequel to Man of Steel, starting with Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck) in Metropolis during the battle with Zod, then picking up two years later. By now Clark Kent (Henry Cavill) and Lois Lane (Amy Adams) have shacked up together, and Clark is frustrated by assignments like a Gotham v Metropolis football game (metaphor, anyone?) when he’s more interested in investigating this crazy Batman character, who is cautiously building anti-Superman weapons.
As for Superman himself, he’s become something of a figure of controversy, criticized for intervening on America’s behalf in the Middle East and being banned from Chinese airspace. He also apparently tells a main villain “I won’t snap your neck, I’m going to take you to prison,” and when fighting the monster Doomsday, General Swanwick (Harry Lennix) informs people that Superman will take the battle away from populated areas. Both of these beats seem to be in direct response to fan outcry from the finale of Man of Steel.
In the last movie, Superman was responsible for a lot more carnage than we’re used to seeing from him, so if this is the direction they’re going with the character (i.e. less hurt-y) then that’s a welcome change. There’s been an intense amount of disinformation going around on Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, including a very fake script that was reported on as real for some time, so it’s best to take these new revelations with a grain of salt. However, we already have photos from both the Metropolis opening and the football game, so there’s some credibility to this report.
Batman v Superman Fight Choreographer Talks Epic Battle
With over 30 credits to his name, fight choreographer Guillermo Grispo has aided Conan, Wolverine and Kick-Ass in their onscreen fisticuffs, but he’s told Los Andes Diario (via Batman News) that he will help the Caped Crusader bring da ruckus like never before in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.
“There’s a thought that Batman has no chance, that the Superman will squash him like a bug,” says Grispo. “But when you see the movie, and how it all comes out, there’s a very intelligent explanation as to why they would have a firsthand confrontation, though it seems to be totally to Batman’s disadvantage.”
As seen in the San Diego Comic-Con test reel, Ben Affleck’s Batman will be wearing Frank Miller’s classic “Dark Knight Returns” armor, no doubt with Kryptonite-enhanced gloves, yet at the end of the day it might be Bruce Wayne’s beat-down abilities that give him the edge against Henry Cavill’s Supes.
“Now Batman is going to fight the way I’ve always dreamed seeing him fight,” Grispo boasts. “He’s a character so prepared in martial arts that you can do a lot of things with him, but filmmakers usually don’t go all the way with it. Even in the last Nolan movies the action scenes aren’t very good from a technical, martial arts point of view to things like choreography, filming, bad camera movements…”
Grispo then goes on to bolster Batman v Superman director Zack Snyder’s reputation as an action maestro, having collaborated on the choreography for 300, Sucker Punch and Man of Steel.
“Don’t get me wrong, Nolan is great, my hats off to him… but I think that he did not pay too much attention to the fights,” adds Grispo. “Those are the kind of details that Zack, being so physical himself, loves preparing. I think there’s going to be a big difference when you see these Batman fights in comparison to the previous ones.”
Starring Henry Cavill, Ben Affleck, Amy Adams, Gal Gadot, Laurence Fishburne, Diane Lane, Jesse Eisenberg, Jeremy Irons, Jena Malone, Holly Hunter and Scoot McNairy, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice hits theaters on March 25, 2016.
The full list of Warner Bros’ planned DC comic book films is as follows:
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, directed by Zack Snyder (2016)
Suicide Squad, directed by David Ayer (2016)
Wonder Woman, starring Gal Gadot (2017)
Justice League Part One, directed by Zack Snyder and starring Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill and Amy Adams (2017)
The Flash, starring Ezra Miller (2018)
Aquaman, starring Jason Momoa (2018)
Shazam (2019)
Justice League Part Two, directed by Zack Snyder (2019)
Cyborg, starring Ray Fisher (2020)
Green Lantern (2020)