The Man of Steel sequel now officially has a title, and no, it’s not Justice League Origins. Instead, it’s a play on the film’s “unofficial” title Batman vs. Superman, as director Zack Snyder’s DC Comics follow-up will henceforth be known as Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Now, a title isn’t exactly the most important thing when it comes to the quality of a film, but this one’s a bit wordy. It actually feels more like the title of one of those direct-to-DVD animated superhero movies rather than a massive Warner Bros. tentpole. Nevertheless, for one reason or another, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is what the powers that be have settled on.
Hit the jump for more, including the film’s official logo and start-of-production announcement.
When you take into account the fact that this film will be followed up directly by Justice League, I guess the “Dawn of Justice” subtitle makes sense, but personally I still think it’s too long and the decision to go with "v" instead of "vs." is odd. Regardless, the official production-start press release offers a couple of interesting nuggets of info about the film.
Firstly, Gal Gadot is listed as playing “Diana Prince/Wonder Woman”, which could suggest that she’s primarily playing Prince and we’ll only get a glimpse of her superhero alter ego. Moreover, Holly Hunter is playing “a role newly created for the film” and the screenplay is officially listed as being “written by Chris Terrio, from a screenplay by David S. Goyer.” Goyer penned the initial draft of the script, but Ben Affleck’s Oscar-winning Argo scribe Terrio was brought in to do some rewrites. It appears that his work was substantial enough to receive a “written by” credit.
Additionally, while the bulk of principal photography for Dawn of Justice will take place in Detroit, the press release adds that other shooting locations include Illinois, Africa, and the South Pacific.
Take a look at the official logo for the film below, followed by the official press release. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice opens in theaters on May 6, 2016.
BURBANK, CA, May 21, 2014 – Filming is underway on Warner Bros. Pictures’ “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,” the highly anticipated action adventure from director Zack Snyder, starring Henry Cavill in the role of Clark Kent/Superman, and Ben Affleck as BruceWayne/Batman.
“Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” also stars Gal Gadot as Diana Prince/Wonder Woman, with Amy Adams, Laurence Fishburne and Diane Lane returning from “Man of Steel,” Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor, Jeremy Irons as Alfred, and Holly Hunter in a role newly created for the film.
“Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice”is written by Chris Terrio, from a screenplay by David S. Goyer. Charles Roven and Deborah Snyder are producing, with Benjamin Melniker, Michael E. Uslan, Wesley Coller, David S. Goyer and Geoff Johns serving as executive producers.
Principal photography will take place on location at Michigan Motion Picture Studios and on location in and around Detroit, Michigan; Illinois; Africa; and the South Pacific.
Set to open worldwide on May 6, 2016, “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” is based on Superman characters created by Jerry Siegel & Joe Shuster, Batman characters created by Bob Kane, and Wonder Woman created by William Moulton Marston, appearing in comic books published by DC Entertainment.
