Does ‘Batman vs. Superman’ Want More Batman, Less Superman?
The on-screen battle of Batman vs. Superman will play out in theaters next year, but the behind-the-scenes battle may be playing out in the editing room as the two superheroes jockey for screen time in one of the biggest films of 2016. According to a new report, Warner Bros. executives have asked Zack Snyder for more Batman in the movie at the expense of the Man of Steel.
Heroic Hollywood is reporting that Warner Bros. has “requested” that Zack Snyder beef up Ben Affleck’s role in the film at the expense of Superman. As they say, “Ben Affleck’s Batman is so good that he is blowing Henry Cavill’s Superman right off the screen.”
Now all we have at this point is the one report (which the studio will surely deny) that Warner Bros. has asked for these changes, but no word yet on whether Zack Snyder has agreed to them or not. Remember, Batman vs. Superman was initially developed as a Man of Steel sequel (despite Henry Cavill’s recent assertions) and Superman is very much the main character of this movie. Though Batman and Wonder Woman are certainly a part of it, they’re still in supporting roles meant to introduce their own solo films.
But, that’s maybe where this all starts to make sense. Recently there were rumors that the Superman sequel has been “put on hold”, while Ben Affleck’s solo Batman movie is already moving ahead towards a 2018 release date. It may be possible that Warner Bros. has decided to focus their new Justice League universe around Batman and making him at least an equal presence in Batman vs. Superman (his name is listed first in the title, after all) is a step in that direction.
The question though is how Warner Bros. and Zack Snyder plan to do this. Do they bring Ben Affleck back in for reshoots? And how do they cut Superman without affecting the narrative arc of the entire movie? And how do they do all this without making a three-hour film? These are all questions they’ll all have to answer as they prep one of the most important movies in Warner Bros. history.