'The Red Capes Are Coming': New 'Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice' Trailer Debuts

I'm not gonna lie: I haven't been impressed by anything we've seen about Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice thus far. But then I saw the trailer that premiered at San Diego Comic-Con. I'm sold.

I like that the over-the-top destruction in the final battle of Man of Steel serves as a catalyst for Bruce Wayne's mistrust of Superman, and I actually dig Jesse Eisenberg's Lex Luthor a LOT more than I thought I would. Love it or hate it, but Zack Snyder has just given the geek world much to debate, dissect and possibly even get excited about.

First Look: Henry Cavill as Superman!

This Man of Steel publicity still of Henry Cavill wearing Superman’s iconic threads has been making comic book geeks lose their mind all day, and deservedly so. Judging by the shot, director Zack Snyder’s going to be putting a lot more emphasis on action this time around, which should be a welcome change of pace after Bryan Singer decided to make The Last Son of Krypton mope around for about 30 minutes too long in 2006’s Superman Returns.

Now, Cavill as Superman? He certainly looks the part, even though Superman’s iconic “S” spit curl seems to be missing and the suit looks like it might have more of a scaled texture to it than the spandex we’re used to. However, this graphic—with all of its sparks and twisted metal and unnatural light—suggests that Snyder is still giving in to his excessive stylistic urges. This means we’ll likely see an abundance of slow-motion action scenes and CGI environments which, after his polarizing Watchmen and his bizarre Sucker Punch, might not be received all that well by casual audiences. We’ll see.

Man of Steel is scheduled for release on June 12, 2013.

Zack Snyder's 'Superman' Reboot in Crisis?

Apologies in advance for the complete and total lack of updates over the last seven days. If you know where I work, you know my life’s been crazy since Monday night. If you don’t, well, let’s just say my week has been “electrifying.” You smell what I’m cooking? Rock on.

Sports-entertainment aside, there has been a great deal of nerd news breaking online this week, including word that Warner Bros.’ faith in Superman reboot director Zack Snyder—whose previous Warner Bros. projects include the under-performing Watchmen and The Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole—has been shaken. New York Magazine’s Vulture blog reports that Snyder’s forthcoming action spectacle Sucker Punch is testing extremely poorly. One insider is quoted as saying “It was bad ; like, really bad. They’re [Warner Bros. execs] really not happy with it over there.”

This isn’t the best news for Superman fans who just recently celebrated the casting of British actor Henry Cavill as the Man of Steel. Insiders also note that the script for the unnamed reboot suffers from some devastating third-act problems, which have likely induced some studio hand-wringing as the project nears its 2013 deadline. If a Superman film isn’t in production at that point, Warner Bros. must re-license the rights to the franchise from the estates of Superman creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster.

Additionally, Vulture reports that Snyder’s 300 sequel, Xerxes, has been re-assigned to Sherlock Holmes director Guy Ritchie. Could his Superman film fall into another director’s hands if Sucker Punch doesn’t deliver a knock-out blow when it hits theaters on March 25? Stay tuned, Wortmaniacs.

Warner Bros. Casts a British Superman

Seeing as how Richard Donner’s 1978 Superman: The Movie essentially created the superhero film genre as we know it today, it boggles the mind how Warner Bros. has experienced so many creative misfires in bringing Kal-El back to the silver screen over the years. From Tim Burton’s failed attempt to resurrect the character in the 1990s to Bryan Singer’s lukewarm franchise relaunch in 2006 with Superman Returns, the blue-and-red boy scout just can’t catch a break in Hollywood these days. However, Zack Snyder’s forthcoming reboot of the Superman film saga hopes to reverse that unfortunate trend. But the big question has remained: Who’s the new Man of Steel?

Deadline.com reports that Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures have chosen British actor Henry Cavill (The Tudors) to play the coveted role.

“In the pantheon of superheroes, Superman is the most recognized and revered character of all time, and I am honored to be a part of his return to the big screen,” Snyder said in a statement. “I also join Warner Bros., Legendary and the producers in saying how excited we are about the casting of Henry.”

Cavill had previously auditioned for the role of Batman/Bruce Wayne in Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins—another superhero reboot—but he lost out to fellow Englishman Christian Bale. It’s hard not to appreciate the symmetry here.

Overseen by Nolan and penned by his Batman Begins/The Dark Knight collaborator David S. Goyer, Superman’s next onscreen outing hits theaters in 2012.

Meanwhile, in Gotham City...

Speaking of Nolan, Deadline.com is also reporting that Joseph Gordon-Levitt is in talks to reunite with his Inception director for The Dark Knight Rises, although it’s not yet known what role he’d be playing. Nolan has vehemently denied the Joker’s return in the Dark Knight sequel, but Gordon-Levitt would be an interesting replacement for the late Heath Ledger if the Clown Prince of Crime were to make a brief appearance in Nolan’s third and presumably final Batman film.

I’ll have more on this story as it develops.