When Man of Steel was released, it began what is known as the DC Extended Universe. It was followed up by Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad and there are numerous movies on the way within the universe. Wonder Woman and Justice League are going to be released this year, with Aquaman, Shazam, Cyborg, and Green Lantern Corps scheduled for the three following years.
While there has already been several crossovers in the first three films of the DCEU and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice directly followed the events of Man of Steel, there has yet to be an official sequel within the universe. That will apparently not be true for much longer, a script is in the works for Man of Steel 2. While there is no word yet on when the sequel will be filmed or released, things are certainly underway. The movie needs a director now, and it seems like Warner Brothers may have someone in mind. Matthew Vaughn.
Matthew Vaughn is no stranger to comic book adaptions; he co-wrote and directed Kick-Ass, X-Men: First Class and Kingsman: The Secret Service and was the first director attached to X-Men: Days of Future Past. When it comes to comic adaptions, it’s clear Vaughn knows what he is doing – and it sounds like Warner Brothers and DC Entertainment agree with that sentiment.
According to Collider, Vaughn is currently in talks to helm the DC Extended Universe-based Superman sequel. Vaughn has spoken publicly about wanting to make a Superman film in the past, going back to before Man of Steel hit the scene. It seems as though he made an impression, as WB apparently wants to give him the reins to Man of Steel 2 – and is willing to give Vaughn a different film, should a deal here fail to materialize.
If Vaughn does get the job, that might signal a shift in tone from what Man of Steel and the rest of the DCEU has thus far been. He’s spoken in the past as to who he thinks Superman is:
“I think that’s the one thing not to do with Superman, trying to do the serious The Dark Knight version. Superman is about color and fun, or it should be, for me.”
Even if it functioned as a soft reboot, it would probably be a bit of work to transform the current film incarnation of the Man of Steel into someone more colorful and fun, at least in a way that seems natural for the character and story. But if Vaughn can find a way to do it, that could have long lasting implications for the entire DCEU. So if he gets the job, there may be a very different series of films on the way than the ones we have seen from DC so far.