At the time of writing, Man of Steel 2 is a mystery, wrapped in an enigma, nestled inside a head-scratching riddle.
It’s the one DC movie that has completely fallen off the radar these past 18 months, and that’s despite showing early signs of potential. But in this post-Justice League world, and with Henry Cavill’s involvement still subject to debate, there are major question marks being raised over the fate of Man of Steel 2, and whether the standalone superhero movie will ever see the warm light of day.
Alas, we don’t have any good news to share on that front just yet, but what we do have is an update from Matthew Vaughn himself, who told Polygon that he’s no longer in the race to helm Man of Steel 2. Well, we say ‘race’ when in reality Warner Bros. is biding its time before bringing Kal-El back to the silver screen.
Vaughn’s name became linked to the mooted sequel back in 2018, when Christopher McQuarrie of Mission: Impossible essentially passed on the gig. That’s not to say that Matthew Vaughn will never direct a Superman movie; while he’s still got a third Kingsman movie in development, he admitted to Polygon that Man of Steel 2 would be difficult to turn down, providing the stars align.
And his version would go a little something like this, according to Polygon:
The first film in the proposed trilogy was meant to take place almost entirely on Krypton, and focus on Jor-El and the impending explosion of Krypton. Though the alien planet would still face destruction, Vaughn and Millar’s take would have the event take place much later in the timeline, allowing Superman to grow up on his home planet and gradually become familiar with Earth, maturing into an adult before having to reckon with his loyalty to both planets.
Allowing Supes to mature on his home planet of Krypton is certainly an interesting angle to take, and would open up a world of possibilities for Vaughn’s potential trilogy. But for the time being, Warner Bros. has pumped the brakes on Man of Steel 2, and we’ll let you know if and when that changes.