Let's deal with Joaquin Phoenix first. Two days ago, in Variety's article regarding Batman Vs. Superman being pushed back 10 months they reported that the main villain role, "is still in Joaquin Phoenix’s court." This is twice that Variety has mentioned Phoenix for the part, yet they haven't revealed who the main villain is. Well, my source, General Napier, has informed me that Phoenix is "very close" to taking the role, and that the main villain is Lex Luthor. So, put two and two together and you have Joaquin Phoenix as Lex Luthor.
Here's a small tidbit about the Man of Steel. General Napier tells me, Henry Cavill will be sporting a new haircut in Zack Snyder’s untitled Superman/Batman film. His Kryptonian locks will be getting a trim. The shorter 'do will resemble Superman's look in Alex Ross and Mark Waid's Kingdom Come, minus the grey hair. An image of Kingdom Come Superman is in the banner image above. Oh, and that hairdo includes Superman's trademark "S" curl, which was absent in the first film.
As for Ben Affleck's rumored rib injury, which was first reported by Batman News. Even though Ben was seen last night at the 20th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards walking around just fine, General Napier has heard that Ben Affleck suffered a musculature injury. Supposedly the injury isn't too severe. He's expected to be back at full-health sometime in April. At the moment, he supposedly can't perform certain movements for the fight sequences, and a stunt double will be used. My source wanted me to stress, Affleck's injury is NOT the reason for the film's delay, and even speculated that this information could be circulating Warner Bros. as a diversion from the behind-the-scenes issues.
The reason for the delay is multifaceted. While I'm not at liberty to discuss most of those issues at this time, I can tell you that one issue is budgetary. There's a concern regarding Wonder Woman's home, Paradise Island (aka Themyscira). Executives are debating whether to feature the island, which would require massive VFX, or merely referencing it.
Last week, Mario-Francisco Robles of Latino Review reported that "Batman vs Superman and Justice League are going to be shot back-to-back." He also said, Batman vs Superman would end with an "insane cliffhanger/teaser that leads right into Justice League. I'm told by General Napier that shooting Batman Vs. Superman and Justice League back-to-back is being considered but no official decision has been made at this time. But, I was also contacted by another source, who requested anonymity, and he told me Justice League is a go, and will be released one year after Batman Vs. Superman.
As for the cliffhanger rumor? General Napier, tells me that's very much true. Cliffhangers, will actually be one key component in WB's master plan to dethrone Marvel Studios. WB realizes that Marvel films are famous for their mid- and post-credits scenes, and have no interest in copying from Marvel's playbook. WB's plan, is to end each of their films with a cliffhanger, setting up the next film in their cinematic universe. WB also wants to do short films for their lesser known characters. These short films would be played at the end of each film. That's a pretty interesting way of taking on Marvel's trademark post-credits scenes.
I'm told by my source, that the marketing campaign for Batman Vs. Superman will still be starting up this year. Photo releases can be expected in the coming months and a viral site will be launched with a "choose your side" angle. That's about it. In the near future, be on the lookout for official casting news pertaining Joaquin Phoenix, Jason Momoa (despite his denials) and Josh Holloway.
Snyder will direct the film from a screenplay written by David S. Goyer, from a story co-created by Goyer and Snyder. Zack Snyder’s Superman/Batman film stars Henry Cavill, reprising his role as Superman/Clark Kent, and Ben Affleck as Batman/Bruce Wayne. The film will also reunite “Man of Steel” stars Amy Adams, Laurence Fishburne and Diane Lane, and also stars Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman/Diana Prince. Zack Snyder’s untitled Superman/Batman film which will now be arriving in theaters May 6, 2016.
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