Henry Cavill’s New Director Wants To Make Man Of Steel 2, But With A Catch
Henry Cavill's current director wants to make Man of Steel 2!
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After narrowly missing out on the opportunity to direct actor Henry Cavill in a Superman movie, Kingsman director Matthew Vaughn hasn’t let the idea go and hopes that it can manifest in a Man of Steel 2 — but with a catch. According to TheWrap, the director was the top choice to direct a Man of Steel 2 that would bring back Cavill’s Clark Kent for a direct follow-up to Zack Snyder’s 2013 standalone movie that acted as a springboard to what we now know as the DC Extended Universe. However, the director was kicking around an idea for a Superman story that was decidedly lighter in tone and scale compared to the dark, gritty world that Zack Snyder created through the first Man of Steel and the subsequent follow-ups Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League.
Unfortunately for Matthew Vaughn, the latter installments in the franchise proved to be less springboards to an Avengers-level franchise and more nails in the coffin of Snyder’s vision for the darkest superhero world ever — even if he did get one more hopeless crack and making things dark and gritty with a recut of Justice League. Now, Henry Cavill’s Superman languishes in obscurity, with some fans wondering if Warner Bros. plans to bring him back and others, soured by the experience of his last two outings, hoping he doesn’t.
Still, Matthew Vaughn was onto something with his notion to make the character lighter. He told the outlet that the tone of Henry Cavill’s Superman movies were all wrong and that what may have worked for Christopher Nolan in The Dark Knight franchise doesn’t necessarily translate to the otherwise hopeful demeanor of Superman. Indeed, the early 2010s were an odd time. After the immense success of The Dark Knight, studios far and wide were saying that the future of the superhero genre was grit and darkness. Man of Steel came around when those voices were getting quieter, but not yet gone, largely drowned out by the new directive to make everything connected like the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Since being caught between those worlds, the DC Extended Universe has struggled to reckon the new, lighter tone it’s going for with Wonder Woman, Aquaman and Shazam! with precursors like Man Of Steel. Still, Henry Cavill isn’t officially done as Superman, so the door is open for Man of Steel 2 and Matthew Vaughn may be just the guy to marry the dark and the light in terms of the franchise’s tone. Previously Snyder said that he was kicking around the idea of a sequel with the comics character Braniac, which could lend itself well to some lightheartedness that movies like The Suicide Squad have officially baked into the franchise.
Henry Cavill seems down to reprise the role in any form, especially a standalone film, so why not see if someone like Vaughn can right the ship and deliver a character audiences know to be dark in a new light? It’s not like it could be worse than the Snyder Cut or Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice, right?
