Summary

Henry Cavill's portrayal of Superman was adored, but the DCEU faced challenges with behind-the-scenes drama.
Man of Steel 2 had Christopher McQuarrie lined up to direct, promising epic action and a unique take on Superman.
McQuarrie's history with the Mission: Impossible franchise proves the director's take on Man of Steel 2 could have helped the DCEU.

Man of Steel 2 had a director lined up who could have helped save the franchise. The DCEU saw its fair share of behind-the-scenes drama, affecting the overall tone of the superhero films they set about producing. Man of Steel offered a darker tone, with choices that some felt changed the hero, like his handling of General Zod. It was a unique take, offering a gritty Superman movie that ultimately defined the universe.

While some took issue with Man of Steel and the DCEU, Henry Cavill's portrayal of Superman was widely beloved, thanks in large part to the actor's charm and fans' love for the character. Cavill's Superman was never given a true chance to shine, with one movie highlighting his start before being thrust into lackluster team-up fare. However, plans for Man of Steel 2 were in the works, with a director who promised to bring epic action and a little light to the franchise.

James Gunn Superman and Zack Snyder's Man of Steel-2

Lessons James Gunn’s Superman Could Learn From Man Of Steel

Man of Steel aced every visual department as well as action choreography and score.

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By Henry-Damian Justice

Zack Snyder's Man Of Steel Kicked Off A Doomed Franchise

Zack Snyder was entrusted with setting the tone for DC's slate of superhero films. Warner Bros. Hoped to establish an interconnected universe of characters, mirroring the success of the MCU. Man of Steel was the first step in that plan, introducing DC's flagship hero with a distinct take that tried to ground Clark Kent while bringing substantial real-world stakes to Superman's actions. Man of Steel was met with a mixed reception, with fans appreciating it more than critics. Snyder followed this up with Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, which saw Cavill's Superman battling Ben Affleck's Batman, before they teamed up with Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman to fight Doomsday.

Batman v Superman received a poor reception from paying audiences. It proved profitable, but fans were disappointed by the end product. This threw DC and Warner Bros. Into a tailspin, attempting to correct the perceived problems in BvS with the remaining films they had already announced. The real issue was that Justice League was already well into production, meaning they had their biggest superhero team in need of a pricey fix. This saw Snyder step away and Joss Whedon brought in for reshoots to patch it together. The end result was a bland mishmash of influences that ultimately pleased nobody.

The DCEU had some bright spots, like James Wan's Aquaman and Patty Jenkins' Wonder Woman. However, there was far too much trouble within the universe that began seeing middling returns with movies like Black Adam and Shazam: Fury of the Gods. This sent the DC Comics properties into a complete overhaul, with James Gunn and his upcoming Superman film set to kick off the new DC Universe. While Gunn is now bringing Superman back to the big screen, there were plans for a Man of Steel 2 before the DCEU decided to start anew, and the new director's take on the character showed promise.

Christopher McQuarrie Was Set To Direct Henry Cavill's Man Of Steel 2

Tom Cruise as Ethan Hunt holding onto a plane in Mission Impossible Rogue Nation

Christopher McQuarrie is an accomplished writer, having penned The Usual Suspects, Edge of Tomorrow, and Top Gun: Maverick. He's also made a name for himself as one of the top-tier action directors of all time, having written and directed the last four Mission: Impossible films, which have pushed movie stunts past their limits. McQuarrie's involvement with Man of Steel 2 first came to light in 2018, but he recently divulged information about his planned take on Superman while appearing on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, stating:

I'll never tell. I'll never tell, but boy was it f***ing good. It was f***ing good.

It turns out that McQuarrie also had plans for a Green Lantern film. He had the story idea first when he realized the parallels with Superman, which ultimately had him understanding what Man of Steel 2 could have been. While speaking on Green Lantern, he stated:

"I realized, don't worry about the costume, worry about the character. How do you give that character tension and stakes? Also, how do you do it with Superman?"

Thanks to Cavill, McQuarrie was inspired:

"Henry had a take on that, and I suddenly realized how these two characters had amazing similarities, which also allowed for amazing conflict and an amazing universe-expanding resolution."

The director finally discussed his vision for Man of Steel, with inspiration coming from Pixar, of all places. "You remember Pixar's Up? [It was] a sequence with no dialogue that covered that character." He continued, expanding on the sequence and overall scale of Man of Steel 2, adding:

[It] was a set-up, after which you knew exactly what makes Superman tick and exactly what Superman was most afraid of and why Superman made the choices he made. It would have been epic. The scale of the movie would have been absolutely extraordinary.

McQuarrie was also reportedly approached about making Man of Steel a second time. After his initial pitch didn't get the traction he had hoped for, Cavill's brief inclusion as Superman in Black Adam saw Warner Bros. Reach out to McQuarrie in one last-ditch effort to make the sequel happen. However, those plans clearly never materialized, with Gunn now revamping things with the DCU.

McQuarrie's Mission: Impossible Success Proves His Man Of Steel 2 Could Have Helped The Franchise

McQuarrie has spent the last decade filming Tom Cruise's death-defying stunt antics for the Mission: Impossible franchise. The director was at the helm when Cruise performed his HALO jump, drove a motorcycle off a cliff, held his breath underwater for six minutes, and dangled from a helicopter. McQuarrie is also behind the franchise's most lauded entry with Mission: Impossible - Fallout. His most recent sequel, The Final Reckoning, brings the franchise to a close with one of the most intense stunts ever filmed, which sees Cruise fighting on the wing of a plane and making a daring midair transfer between planes.

With McQuarrie promising that the scale of his Man of Steel 2 "would have been absolutely extraordinary," the director went on to prove what that could have meant with the Mission: Impossible films. While Superman stunts would likely be filmed with as much VFX work as possible, keeping dangerous practical stunts to a minimum, the Mission: Impossible movies have shown just how big McQuarrie can go, capturing flight sequences and moments audiences could never have imagined seeing. Audiences will never get to see McQuarrie's Man of Steel 2, but for a sense of the hero's flight, they can look to Cruise "wing walking" on a small plane over the skies of Africa, highlighting action thrills unlike any other filmmaker.

McQuarrie looks to have a bright future ahead of him, as he has even admitted to having the story for Top Gun 3 in mind. However, the directors' plans to aid the DCEU will go unrealized as James Gunn and the DCU reboot the heroes, leaving his full plans for Man of Steel 2 a mystery. Still, with Gunn's DCU being open to unique pitches, like Mike Flanagan's Clayface, McQuarrie may yet have a shot with some of his DC ideas.

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