Holy blockbuster! Batman, Superman to unite on big screen

Melissa Gray

CNN

(CNN) — This summer’s Superman blockbuster is getting a sequel — and it’s going to unite the Man of Steel with the Caped Crusader for the first time on the big screen.

Warner Bros. Pictures announced Saturday at Comic-Con that Superman will pair with his fellow Justice League hero Batman in the upcoming yet-to-be-named film, expected to begin production in 2014.

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“Man of Steel” director Zack Snyder will direct the film, and current Superman Henry Cavill will star, Warner Bros. said. The new Batman has yet to be cast.

Snyder’s reimagining of Superman in “Man of Steel” broke the record for the biggest June opening, taking in $125.1 million in its first weekend. It has since raked in a total of $630 million worldwide, Warner Bros. said.

“Superman and Batman together on the big screen is a dream come true for DC (Comics) fans everywhere,” said Diane Nelson, president of DC Entertainment.

Snyder told Comic-Con fans he’s excited to work with Cavill again and take the story to the next chapter.

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“It’s beyond mythological to have Superman and our new Batman facing off, since they are the greatest superheroes in the world,” he said.

Snyder strongly hinted that the heroes will be rivals in the movie.

CNN partner Entertainment Weekly reported that “Man of Steel” actor Harry Lennix took the stage with Snyder and read a line from Frank Miller’s 1986 book, “The Dark Knight Returns,” in which Batman wages battle with the man from Krypton.

“I want you to remember, Clark. In all the years to come. In all your most private moments. I want you to remember my hand at your throat. I want you to remember the one man who beat you,” Lennix read from the book.

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Amy Adams, Laurence Fishburne and Diane Lane also return for the new film, Warner Bros. said.

Christian Bale, who starred as Batman in three film installments of “The Dark Knight,” told Entertainment Weekly this month that he wouldn’t be starring in a fourth. “Dark Knight” director Christopher Nolan also said he wasn’t opting for a fourth movie in the franchise, the magazine said.

Nolan will, however, have a hand in the upcoming Superman-Batman film — he’s serving as one of the executive producers, Warner Bros. said.

Warner Bros. and DC Comics, the publisher of “Superman” titles, are both units of Time Warner, CNN’s parent company.

CNN’s Henry Hanks contributed to this report.