Look, the fact is people are going to cite the facts any way they please depending on their opinion of Man Of Steel. If you were a fan, then this announcement is evidence that WB was pleased with it. If you weren't a fan, then this announcement is evidence that WB might not have been pleased with it. Personally I lean more towards the latter.
To all the people that loved Man Of Steel. To all the people who don't believe this announcement is evidence that WB was displeased with it's performance. To all the people who are actually on board with the direction WB has ultimately decided to take, I'd like to ask you a few questions.
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Please answer honestly, and for now just answer with yes or no. We'll get into discussion later.
1. Prior to yesterday's announcement and after having seen Man Of Steel for yourself, was there ever a point in which you felt the next logical progression for that character and that story to take in the sequel involved Batman? (Yes/No)
2. Fans touted this new Man Of Steel series would act as this generation's definitive cinematic representation of the Superman mythos. Do you believe that Batman is essential to telling that mythos? (Yes/No)
3. Assume that Man Of Steel had grossed close to a billion dollars worldwide by the end of it's theatrical run. Let's say in the neighborhood of $900-$950 million. And let's also assume it was a lot less divisive. Let's say it was incredibly well received by critics and fans alike and it's RT rating sat around 88%-90%. Assuming all of that were true, does WB still go ahead and put Batman in the sequel? (Yes/No)
4. Do you think WB's decision to fast track their own DC shared universe is largely out of pressure put on them by Marvel and the absolute monster phenomenon that was The Avengers? (Yes/No)
5. Do you think that it's a wise move to try and reintroduce general audiences to a new cinematic Batman a mere three years after Nolan's enormously successful series has seen it's end? (Yes/No)
I'm curious as to how some of you answer those questions.