With the rumors that WB is fast-tracking MAN OF STEEL 2 for next year, the rumors have been swirling as to what this means for the DC universe. Warner Bros has yet to deny that we will be seeing a sequel to the hit Superman reboot next year which doesn’t make it true but certainly stirs the Internet to a high level of speculation.
High atop the list of rumors is who will be Superman’s foe in MAN OF STEEL 2. With the references to LexCorp throughout Metropolis it would only make sense for Lex Luthor to be Kal-el’s adversary as the crumbled city tries to rebuild. Lex has always been the only human that truly poses a threat to the Kryptonian superhero which means an actor with enough presence to go toe to toe with Henry Cavill would be needed.
Cosmic Book News is claiming an exclusive that says director Zack Snyder wants British actor Mark Strong to play Luthor. Strong has prior comic book experience having played the villain in KICK-ASS as well as Sinestro in GREEN LANTERN. If Strong does get the part as Luthor, I would expect that to put the final nail in the coffin for Ryan Reynolds to play Hal Jordan in the JUSTICE LEAGUE movie.
Strong would make an excellent Luthor. While I have a childhood connection to Gene Hackman as Luthor, his take on the villain never felt like much of a threat to Superman. Strong is physically more imposing and has the ability to lose his shit in just the right way to make him seem threatening to even a superhero. I would fully back this casting if it turns out to be true.
The exclusive also says that pre-production on MAN OF STEEL 2 will likely begin in October of this year with filming next year. That would put the sequel in theaters in 2015, not next year as the first rumors suggested. They say that Christopher Nolan will have less input on the new script which David Goyer has begun drafting. Jonathan Nolan may assist with later drafts.
With Jeff Robinov leaving WB, the DC films have lost their biggest supporter, but the studio also cannot deny that MAN OF STEEL is a success. Whether these rumors come to fruition remains to be seen, but expect to hear more as this develops.
