Today in Totally Unsurprising News, we've learned that director Zack Snyder has an edgier Superman planned for the reboot Man of Steel. The news isn't much of a shock since Snyder doesn't make quiet, subtle pictures, and his ability to deliver something "edgy" was probably part of the reason why Warner Bros. and producer Christopher Nolan hired him in the first place.
In a recent interview, actor Dylan Sprayberry, who plays the young Clark Kent, talked about what Snyder has envisioned for the Man of Tomorrow's new flight to the big screen. Hit the jump for details. Man of Steel stars Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Michael Shannon, Kevin Costner, Diane Lane, Laurence Fishburne, Antje Traue, Harry Lennix, Ayelet Zurer, Christopher Meloni, Richard Schiff, and Russell Crowe. The film opens June 14, 2013.
Speaking to Clevver TV, Sprayberry mentioned how his first meeting with Snyder provided an idea of what the director was going for with Man of Steel:
"When Zack and I were talking about it the first time, he was saying how Superman, they want to give it a more edgy feel like 'The Dark Knight' but also make it more realistic and emotional so it’s not just the all-american superhero that saves everyone. He has dilemmas and love and struggles throughout the whole movie, especially when he's a kid."
Because when I go to see Superman, what I really want to see is Batman in a different costume and with superpowers. I'm desperately trying not to prejudge the movie, and it's possible that Snyder has refined his approach. But going by Snyder's track record, this is exactly what he has in store.
Once again, we must come back to the question of why does Superman need to be edgy? Would it be the worst thing if we just accepted a good-hearted, non-emo Superman? Making Supes "edgy" feels like a lazy way to generate conflict. Furthermore, I dread the possibility that Nolan had dragged his anti-comic book sensibilities into another superhero property. Nolan's approach makes some sense in the Batman universe since the Dark Knight doesn't have superpowers, but Superman should be larger than life. He doesn't need to be edgy. What's so wrong about leaving cynicism behind, and believing in "Truth, Justice, and the American Way", if only for a couple hours?
