Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice's Ultimate Superhero Showdown: Release Date, Cast and Rumors

Jul 05, 2015 05:24 AM EDT

Batman vs Super: Dawn of Justice is coming on March 16, 2016 as Warner Bros. and DC Comics unveil their roadmap to an Extended DC Universe.

Entertainment Weekly featured a special double-issue Comic Con Preview that provides loyal fans of the mega-franchise first glimpse of Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice in this week's cover that is described as a "visual more powerful than a locomotive."

This will be the first time the Caped Crusader will tangle with the Man of Steel onscreen with Director Zack Snyder revealing that the idea to pit Superman against Batman started out as an idea for a cool Easter Egg in a meeting with franchise co-captains Christopher Nolan and David S. Goyer.

Snyder told EW, "I said, 'What about at the end of the movie we do a scene where there's a crate full of kryptonite delivered to Wayne Manor. Everyone was like...'Okaay.' Once you say it out loud it's a problem because you can't unsay it."

The idea caught on obviously. Bruce Wayne and Clark Kent both don the most popular pair of capes in the superhero world and are two of the biggest names in comics.

Warner Bros., and DC Comics like the idea so much that they created this DC Extended Universe road map and plan to release a "Justice League" movie, featuring Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and Aquaman in 2017, reported the Daily News.

Snyder continued "It's a marathon. No, it's a marathon within a marathon," as he described the process involved in trying to create another potential mega franchise. It's a marathon. No, it's a marathon within a marathon. Do you know that race from Death Valley to the top of Mount Whitney? It's, like, 100 miles and it's from the lowest point in the continental United States to the highest. It's crazy. Anyway, it's like that."

Batman vs Superman also comes four years after the final release of the Dark Knight Trilogy. This time, Ben Affleck will be donning the Batman suit and traveled to Metropolis to take on Superman, fearing what would happen if the latter is kept unchecked. As Batman and Superman confront one another, a new threat arrives to put mankind in greater danger than it has previously known.

Affleck spokes of his character as Batman, "He's on the verge of being swallowed up by the anger and the rage that we see haunt this character in the other manifestations of it. But this guy is further down the line and has become more embittered and cynical."

Also making their appearance in Batman vs Superman are Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) and Aquaman (Jason Momoa).

Snyder said Wonder Woman plays a super-important part in the movie. "In a lot of ways, she's the gateway drug to the rest of the Justice League," he was quoted as saying by ComingSoon.net.  

Gadot said of Wonder Woman, "There are so many expectations for this character, it's impossible not to be a little nervous about it." The actress added that she loves "doing the swordplay stuff. It's another skill to add to my collection." She's still working on her lasso skill though.

Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice is directed by Zack Snyder, with a screenplay written by Chris Terrio and Goyer. Henry Cavill will reprise his role as Superman while Amy Adams plays Pulitzer-prize winning reporter Lois Lane. Also included in the cast are Jesse Eisenberg, Diane Lane, Laurence Fishburne, Jeremy Irons, Holly Hunter and Gal Gadot. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice will be the first live-action film to feature both Batman and Superman.