Zack Snyder will direct SUPERMAN

[Admiral_Young]

Brainiac was mentioned by Nolan back in March as being in the script along with Lex.

[JacksonArcher]

It is possible that Nolan, Goyer, etc. are saving Brainiac and other villains for future installments. Maybe we'll see Brainiac introduced in this film but not take a full-on role as villain until the sequel. Who knows. We have so little information at this point and General Zod hasn't even been officially confirmed- just mentioned offhand in an article.

I think if we have Luthor and Zod in the first movie, Metallo or some such in the sequel, and then Brainiac in the third film- he is, after all, Superman's big bad and I think saving him is a good idea. Perhaps Nolan and Goyer are planning on using him for the second film, like how they used The Joker for The Dark Knight- who knows at this point.

I do think it is disappointing with Nolan involved that Batman & Superman happen in separate universes...cameos would have been fun.

[JacksonArcher]

The Blur wrote:

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I do think it is disappointing with Nolan involved that Batman & Superman happen in separate universes...cameos would have been fun.

Superman would be trying to save someone in Gotham and then Batman would be all pissed off, calling him an "amateur" and telling him that he's done with him professionally.

[Too Much Fun]

I don't want to see them use Zod again because I love Terrence Stamp's performance of the character so much. While it may appear campy and outdated by today's standards, I still think it's perfect and do not like the idea of it being reinterpreted. I could be wrong and they could cast and write it brilliantly and surprise me, but this is one of those characters that I just wish would be left alone based on a past performance. Kinda like Gene Wilder in "Willy Wonka and the Chocoloate Factory".

Jack Nicholson's Joker was fun, but I didn't think it was the best portrayal of the character possible, so I was open to seeing a new one. I just don't think anyone can top Stamp's Zod. I loved Frank Gorshin' portrayal of The Riddler and I don't think any version will ever be as loved, but I could see a new interpretation being interesting and satisfying, but Zod doesn't need to be modernized. His performance in 1980 was one for the ages that need not be rehashed in any form.

[TemporalFlux]

I can understand why Nolan an Goyer avoided Joker in the Batman Begins; Joker had been done to death in the past, and they instead focused on something new with Scarecrow and Ra's al Ghul.

If this Zod crap pans out, then Nolan and Goyer are only serving to make "Richard Donner Continues Part II". There is absolutely no reason to save Brainiac for later, and it's ridiculous that he hasn't been used in *any* film up until now.

I hope the Zod report is wrong. I don't want to see Zod. At all.

[Spaceman Spiff]

At least the slo-mo scenes can be explained away by the character moving at super speed....

[Admiral Buzzkill]

Mr. Laser Beam wrote:

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I threw up a little in my mouth when I heard Snyder use that dreaded word..."modern."

Because, if one looks up from the TV and out the window it's quite apparent that we're living today, not twenty or thirty or forty years ago.

Either do Superman as a real period piece - pre-WW II, to honor the era from which he sprang - or be completely contemporary about it. Or stay home.

Aragorn wrote:

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^ Clark is about to get laid off until Superman grants him an interview.

And Lois isn't getting laid at all until Superman grants her an interview.

[Donald Draper]

I was very much unimpressed by 300 and Watchman. Both were over stylized and I was not invested in the characters or stories on any level. So I am not happy with this choice at all.

.... So thats my 2 cents. For whatever its worth...

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Garak wrote:

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Go back to Russia.

Excuse me?

[Gojira]

One positive thing is that this will not be an origin story. Personally, I'm pretty tired of them.

[Admiral Buzzkill]

Mr. Laser Beam wrote:

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Excuse me?

That's Our Garak!

[ClayinCA]

Space Therapist wrote:

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One positive thing is that this will not be an origin story. Personally, I'm pretty tired of them.

Has that actually been stated yet? I haven't seen that bit of news anywhere.

[JacksonArcher]

TemporalFlux wrote:

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I can understand why Nolan an Goyer avoided Joker in the Batman Begins; Joker had been done to death in the past, and they instead focused on something new with Scarecrow and Ra's al Ghul.

If this Zod crap pans out, then Nolan and Goyer are only serving to make "Richard Donner Continues Part II". There is absolutely no reason to save Brainiac for later, and it's ridiculous that he hasn't been used in *any* film up until now.

I hope the Zod report is wrong. I don't want to see Zod. At all.

Nolan and Goyer are obviously thinking long-term. I'm sure when they sat down to outline the story for this particular film, like they did for Batman Begins, they outlined not just one film but three. I'm not sure how the Joker had been done to death in the past; his last on-screen appearance before The Dark Knight was 1989's Batman (that is if you're discounting Mask of the Phantasm, but I was referring to live-action and not animation). Nolan probably went for Ra's al Ghul and Scarecrow to try and separate Begins from the previous films as much as possible since Batman & Robin put a rather nasty taste in people's mouths.

I think if you use Brainiac in the first film, then any other villain you use for future installments just isn't going to hold up. I don't mean to belittle the Superman mythology, but he doesn't have the best rogue's gallery. Brainiac in many ways is Superman's equivalent to the Joker for Batman. Using him in the first film doesn't make much sense unless you can foreshadow a bigger appearance later. After Brainiac, other threats such as Luthor and Metallo just don't measure up in my opinion. It makes sense to build toward a Brainiac appearance.

Also, Nolan likes to think narrative structure for his films and puts a prominence on story. He has said in the past that he usually comes up with the story first, and then decides which characters best inform that story. That's why the past two Batman films have been so strong because he doesn't cherry pick certain characters and then formulate a story around them; he lets the story inform the characters. If this first chapter of a new Superman on-screen mythology is going to tie into Superman's origins or history at all, it makes sense for the first film to feature General Zod, who has connections to Krypton and Superman's past. I can see why Nolan and Goyer would choose Zod coming out of the gate. It makes sense.

Of course, Zod will probably not be the only villain in the story. I'm sure we'll see Luthor as well with some foreshadowing or cameo appearances from other villains that will later play larger roles in future installments. Nolan likes to create a believable world full of rich characters and judging from his Batman films he doesn't just settle on one villain, but many.

[Obiwanshinobi]

I'd go with Zod/Brainiac then Darkseid and to a lesser extent Doomsday in the sequels.