Superman and Batman to face off

SAN DIEGO: A sequel to last month’s hit Superman film, Man of Steel, is not only in the works, but will feature two of DC Comics’ best- known caped crusaders – Superman and Batman – facing off against each other, director Zack Snyder said.

Snyder, who directed Henry Cavill as Superman Clark Kent, received thunderous applause from the 6 000-plus in attendance at Comic-Con, an annual comics convention.

After announcing the plan to bring the two superheroes together, Snyder said the two would be fighting each other, and conceded this might surprise some.

“Let’s face it, it’s beyond mythological to have Superman and our new Batman facing off, since they are the greatest superheroes in the world,” said Snyder, who has been confirmed as director of the as-yet unnamed sequel.

While Superman and Batman are superheroes in the DC universe, they have been portrayed as nemeses in DC’s Dark Knight comics, from which Christopher Nolan adapted his Dark Knight Batman franchise. Nolan will serve as executive producer to the sequel, Warner Bros said.

The studio is banking on the success of other recent films that have paired up heroes from the comic book universe, such as Disney’s Marvel superhero ensemble The Avengers last year, which made $1.5 billion at the worldwide box office.

The film is slated for release in summer 2015, but there has been no word on who will play Batman. Christian Bale, the last actor to portray Batman, has shot down rumours that he would play the masked hero again. – Reuters