Due to an expansion as the multiverse begins to set into place, the DC Extended Universe is opening itself up to new characters and even more endless possibilities. It's refreshing to watch the DCEU step away from their handful of headlining characters, but Man of Steel (2011) producer Charles Roven wants Superman to co-exist with different versions of himself.
DC FanDome made it clear that the brand's next big hit will be alternative Earths making themselves all the more relevant. Ezra Miller's The Flash (2022) will stand as the establisher of the franchise's scattered timeline. The Scarlet Speedster's stand-alone promises the incorporation of alum Batmen Michael Keaton and Ben Affleck. This presents an opportunity for DC to showcase their extensive collection of their most popular heroes, and the alternative version of them that go hand-in-hand.
Roven, in conversation with Comicbook, breaks down the prospect of bringing multiple Superman projects to life in the future. He prefaces by saying that Warner Bros. has to allow for "multiple versions" if they adhere to the filmmaker's intention. "If they're going to go along with a filmmaker's vision, you have to allow for multiple visions. You can't have it any other way," he said, "Not everybody's going to think alike."
He then went on to lean on the example of The Flash and its pair of Caped Crusaders, noting that "it does have somewhat of a cohesive vision" once compared to the grander scale of the DCEU. "I think if somebody brought them a cohesive vision, it's my understanding, and I could be wrong because I haven't read the script or whatever, but even in The Flash thing that supposedly has multiple Batmans, it does have somewhat of a cohesive vision to the universe that's been created since Ezra [Miller] has been playing The Flash. And so, they're not saying, 'Never,' to anything and I like that. It's got to work. You know what I'm saying? It's got to work. You've got to be able to actually say, 'Here's what I'm really going to deliver, and then it's got to work.'"
DC Comics underwent a self rebranding through the New 52 which was released in 2011. Roven cited Geoff Johns and his approach to continuity as a reference to his own plan to piece multiple Supermen together. "Quite frankly, the comic books that this is all based on, the canon that this is all based on has never done [said, 'Never.']. They've been able to do amazing off-shoots and listen, look at what Geoff Johns has done by helping create the New 52 when the canon was getting a little stale.," Rover said, "And look what... He did it again when he created all the different Lanterns, not just a Green Lantern. I mean, why shouldn't you be able to do that in the film medium, in the motion picture medium?"
Roven made it clear that he is not associated with the new Superman project that Ta-Nehisi Coates is writing for DC, and that he only attached to anything related to Man of Steel. "I'm only attached to anything that's spun off of Man of Steel. So once Henry Cavill is no longer a part of Superman, then I'm not attached to Superman. Right now, I think right now, I'm attached to Justice League. I'm attached to Wonder Woman and I'm attached to The Suicide Squad," the producer clarifies.
Superman's uncertain future within the DCEU gives way for Roven's remarks to help preserve the character while exploring new opportunities outside of Henry Cavill's popular casting. If Warner Bros. and DC decide to hold onto Cavill and seek out variant identities for the Man of Steel, it solidifies Cavill's Kryptonian persona. J.J. Abrams' Superman reboot is a step closer to Roven's multiverse and could be the early transition of bringing the producer's crossover event to life.
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