Warner Bros.’ Kevin Tsujihara on the Batman v Superman release date changes
You might recall that the Batman v Superman release date was initially set for this summer – it’s true! The film was originally set to debut in theaters on July 17, a release date later occupied by Marvel’s own Ant-Man, but was bumped to May 6, 2016, a date that was already set for an untitled Marvel Studios film, which we now know is Captain America: Civil War.
The game of “release date” Chicken continued for some time, and WB ultimately moved the film to its current slot of March 25, 2016. Ironically, their president even mentioned they thought Marvel wouldn’t be able to have their film ready for that date. Which is where we find ourselves today, the titans of DC and Marvel will square off against themselves and their biggest rivals next year in a span of just six weeks, and fan excitement couldn’t be at a higher level.
Currently, the gap between WB’s only DC Cinematic Universe films is almost three years, but speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, Warner Bros. CEO Kevin Tsujihara elaborated on their reasoning for the release shuffle, and confirmed he’s already seen the film multiple times.
“It was a tough decision at the time because it was going to create a hole in 2015,” he says. “But it was absolutely the right decision for the franchise, for DC and the movie. Having seen the movie multiple times, and again last night, I’m extremely confident it was the right decision to make the movie better. And it’s so important for the studio to get the foundation right on DC.”
The wait from Man of Steel to the “Dawn of Justice” will have been a long one, but WB is banking on DC big time. Suicide Squad will follow “Batman v Superman” in August 2016 with production on a solo Wonder Woman to start this fall and the first Justice League film beginning production next spring. Let’s just hope that the lengthy gaps don’t happen once again.
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice stars Henry Cavill in the role of Clark Kent/Superman, and Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne/Batman. The film also stars Gal Gadot as Diana Prince/Wonder Woman, with Amy Adams, Laurence Fishburne and Diane Lane returning from Man of Steel, Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor, Jeremy Irons as Alfred, and Holly Hunter in a role newly created for the film. Jason Momoa will also be making an appearance as Aquaman.
Directed by Zack Snyder, written by Chris Terrio, from a screenplay by David S. Goyer, the film is produced by Charles Roven and Deborah Snyder with Benjamin Melniker, Michael E. Uslan, Wesley Coller, David S. Goyer and Geoff Johns serving as executive producers.
Do you think the Batman v Superman release date of March 25, 2016 is a good one?
