The DC Comics Cinematic Universe will kick off into high gear next year with Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad. Then, for the next four years, Warner Bros. has lined up several standalone films for characters such as Wonder Woman and Aquaman as well as the two Justice League crossover films.
A new solo Batman film is also in development by Ben Affleck and Geoff Johns, but that still leaves a big question mark for a second Man of Steel film. The rumor mill turned out a fascinating possibility for a director for a second Superman film set in the DCCCU, and it was none other than Mad Max: Fury Road director George Miller.
Digital Spy had a chance to ask the director if there was any validity to the rumor, and here’s what Miller had to say:
There’s been some of that [talk about Man of Steel 2] in the mix, but it’s, I’d say, probably not true. I was going to do a Justice League movie that fell through in 2009, not a fault of anybody’s but a new Australian government, which wasn’t agile enough with the rebates. They were indecisive, and there was a writer’s strike, and the planets didn’t align for that one. But i’ve always been interested — basically I work in mythology and the superhero movies are basically new incarnations of the Greek and Roman mythologies, so it’s always something I’m interested in.
It looks like there may have been some discussions about Miller taking on the film, but apparently nothing of substance came out of it. After the huge success of Fury Road, you’d expect he would want to work on a bigger and higher profile film, but Miller wants none of that, saying:
I hope the next film I make is a very, very small film without any special effects and not many stunts.
Considering how long it took to get Fury Road to the big screen (not including the long production and post-production period), and all the problems they had along the way, I can’t say I blame him. It’s a shame, because he would have been a phenomenal choice for Superman, but at 70 years old, he’s probably more selective about what he wants to do with his time.
Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice will premiere in theaters on March 25, 2016, while Suicide Squad opens August 5, 2016.