A sequel to last month's hit Superman film Man of Steel is not only in the works but will feature two of DC Comic's best-known caped crusaders - Superman and Batman - facing off against each other, director Zack Snyder said. Snyder, who directed British actor Henry Cavill as Superman/Clark Kent, was a surprise addition to the end of the Warner Brothers film panel at San Diego's Comic-Con, an annual comics convention, and received thunderous applause from the 6,000-plus in attendance. After announcing the plan to bring the two superheroes together, Snyder issued a statement via Warner Brothers saying the two would be fighting each other, and conceded this might surprise some. "Let's face it, it's beyond mythological to have Superman and our new Batman facing off, since they are the greatest superheroes in the world," said Snyder, who has been confirmed as director of the as-yet unnamed sequel. While both Superman and Batman are superheroes in the DC universe, they have been portrayed as nemeses in DC's Dark Knight comics, from which Christopher Nolan adapted his Dark Knight Batman franchise. Nolan will serve as executive producer to the sequel, Warner Brothers said. The studio is banking on the success of other recent films that have paired up heroes from the comic book universe, such as Disney's Marvel superhero ensemble The Avengers in 2012, which made US$1.5 billion at the worldwide box office. Nolan's 2012's The Dark Knight Rises , starring Christian Bale as Batman, has made more than US$1 billion at the global box office. Cavill will reprise the role of Superman in the sequel, and Man of Steel stars Amy Adams, who plays Lois Lane, and Laurence Fishburne will also return, Warner Brothers said. The film is slated for release in summer 2015, but there has been no word on who will play Batman. Bale has previously shot down rumours that he would play the masked hero again.
