May 21, 2014 – The ACTUAL title
For months we’d all just been calling the movie Batman vs. Superman or Batman/Superman or “Untitled Zack Snyder Super Hero Project” but the day after Smith’s latest comments, WB made it official – the film would be called Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. This drew some criticisms from fans who were hoping for a variation on the classic “World’s Finest” title.
June 19, 2014 – Just The Batman for me please.
About a month later, a new rumor would pop up for the Dark Knight, this time saying that the next solo Batman film wouldn’t come around until 2019, well after the character’s debut in “Batman v Superman” and his team up in Justice League. The rumored title for the film was simply “The Batman,” but since then nothing else has been heard about the rumor, though Warner Bros. has set release dates for two Untitled DC films in 2019 on April 5 and June 19.
July 23, 2014 – All cowl, no suit
As San Diego Comic-Con geared up to kick-off, Warner Bros. revealed the cape and cowl that Affleck will wear in the upcoming film would be on display at the convention!
July 24, 2014 – Dat cowl
Not to be outdone by cell phone camera photos from the convention floor, WB and Zack Snyder revealed another image of Affleck in his cowl, and there was much rejoicing.
July 26, 2014 – It’s on like Donkey Kong
Two days later, Warner Bros. would open their Hall H panel at San Diego Comic-Con with a short teaser for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Our own Silas Lesnick recapped it as follows:
“Batman is standing on a Gotham rooftop in the rain. His costume isn’t what we’ve seen already. It’s big and bulky, like his armor in The Dark Knight Returns. His eyes light up, solid white. He’s moving a tarp, revealing the bat signal He turns it on and the camera tracks up to the sky. Superman is there, hovering in the light, and he doesn’t look happy. His eyes light up with heat vision as he glares at Batman.”
August 4, 2014 – A different kind of Batsuit
As production continued on Batman v Superman in Detroit, new set photos emerged featuring Ben Affleck playing the titular albeit filming as his alter ego Bruce Wayne. Affleck was spotted with director Zack Snyder prepping for an action sequence for the highly anticipated sequel.
August 6, 2014 – Musical release dates
Two weeks after the reveal of the teaser at San Diego Comic-Con, the game of “Release date chicken” ended as WB revealed that Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice would no longer debut in theaters on May 6, but instead weeks earlier on March 25. They also revealed release dates for DC related projects stretching all the way to 2020.
August 14, 2014 – Ben tells it like it is
Though Affleck had already spoken previously about taking on the role, a new interview surfaced in which he was able to talk about actually filming the project.
“I’m right in the middle of shooting now. It’s a process that I’ll probably have better perspective on when I’m done. I can tell you that every time I do a role, it’s the responsibility of an actor to get their physical self as close to the role as possible. And Batman’s obviously got a set of expectations that are tough. So I spent a lot of time working out. And it’s a far cry from Gone Girl where my character is described as ‘puffy and hungover.’ I want you to know I worked equally hard at both!”
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice will debut in theaters on March 25, 2016. Check back with us in a year from now to see what we’ve learned then!
