Time Warner CEO Jeff Bewkes declares Batman V Superman 2016’s most anticipated movie. But is the film too big to succeed? The hopes and dreams of the DC Cinematic Universe rest squarely on the success of Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, the followup to the well received 2013 Man of Steel. At Time Warner’s annual meeting yesterday, CEO Jeff Bewkes stated that there is “no more anticipated movie.” It’s a bold, but not indefensible, claim. Bewkes has been CEO of Time Warner since January 1, 2008, President since 2005, and Chairman of the Board since 2009. Bewkes and Warner Bros. have a lot riding on this film.
The film is huge. We have two DC Comics legends facing of for the first time in a live action feature film. That in and of itself is an ambitious endeavor. Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) is also confirmed to have a key role, and SCREENRANT reports on details of the potential Aquaman (Jason Momoa) and Flash (Ezra Miller) cameos. The film will serve as a springboard for a shared DC Universe and the planned Justice League, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, and The Flash films. That is a tremendous weight for one movie to shoulder.
Most anticipated film? Probably. Pivotal to the future of the franchise and the entire shared universe? Absolutely. Batman V Superman can’t just be good; it has to be amazing to be considered a success. OK won’t do it. Good luck to director Zack Snyder. It seems an unfair amount of pressure, but certainly he knew what he signed up for. And if Snyder pulls it off, he may become a DC legend himself.
Zack Snyder’s Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice arrives just over 9 months from now in theaters on March 25th, 2016. See the official synopsis and trailer below:
Fearing the actions of a god-like super hero left unchecked, Gotham City’s own formidable, forceful vigilante takes on Metropolis’s most revered, modern-day savior, while the world wrestles with what sort of hero it really needs. And with Batman and Superman at war with one another, a new threat quickly arises, putting mankind in greater danger than it’s ever known before.
