Last month, a rumor surfaced that director George Miller might be in line to direct a DC superhero movie. And not just any DC superhero film, but a sequel to Man of Steel, giving Miller the opportunity to tackle a Superman story once and for all. This was a curious notion not only because Miller is coming off the absolutely masterful Mad Max: Fury Road—which is proof positive that blockbuster filmmaking can be high art when you’ve got a visionary filmmaker at the helm—but also because Miller came close to rebooting Warner Bros.’ DC superheroes before Zack Sndyer. Indeed, he was set to direct Justice League: Mortal and had even assembled his cast in Australia before WB got cold feed and shut the movie down during pre-production
So, the prospect of Miller finally getting his chance to play with the DC toys was mighty fascinating, but would it actually happen? No, it turns out. Speaking with Digital Spy, Miller confirmed that he had conversations with Warner Bros. (the same studio behind Mad Max, mind you) about directing a DC movie, but the likelihood of it happening is slim. Instead, Miller told the outlet he wants to go in the opposite direction after the whirlwind of Fury Road:
"I hope the next film I make is a very small film without any special effects and not many stunts.”
So this means another Mad Max sequel is probably not Miller's next movie. On the one hand that’s disappointing, since Miller’s handle on the action genre is positively masterful. But it’s also understandable. Fury Road was a hellish shoot as delays and tough conditions made the production very, very difficult. The end result is astounding and will absolutely stand the test of time, but I can understand reluctance on the part of the filmmaker to dive back into something of that scale right away.
It also makes sense that Miller wouldn’t be too interested in making a superhero movie with Warner Bros. Justice League: Mortal was his opportunity to start from scratch and begin building a newly established universe and series of films. Now, however, Snyder has already built a foundation for the DC Universe, so while Warner Bros. may take a more filmmaker-friendly approach to its various superhero movies, the director still has to somewhat color inside the lines. That doesn’t seem like the most exciting of possibilities for a director of Miller’s stature and talent.
