Matthew Vaughn reveals idea for what his Man of Steel 2 would’ve looked like

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

The 2013 Superman movie MAN OF STEEL may have launched the DC’s own cinematic universe, but the movie never got a sequel and Supes has yet to have his own solo outing. Rumors abounded last year that KINGSMAN and KICK-ASS director Matthew Vaughn was in talks to direct a long-gestating MAN OF STEEL 2. Sadly, those plans never came to fruition, and soon thereafter reports came out that star Henry Cavill had hung up his red cape for good and would not be reprising the character.

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But now after some time has passed since the stories about his potential MAN OF STEEL sequel have passed, Vaughn has opened up about where his movie – which is he says is "officially" done –  would’ve gone. In an interview with Polygon for his new movie ROCKETMAN (which he produced and that stars KINGSMAN’s Taron Egerton) Vaughn discussed that his talks for Superman go as far back as 2008 when he and comic book author Mark Millar went to Warner Bros. and pitched their idea for a whole new trilogy.

The first of these movies was to take place almost entirely on Kal-El/Superman’s home planet, Krypton. The destruction of the planet – which caused his parents to send him to Earth as a baby – would have taken place years later down the timeline, and Kal would’ve grown up on the planet and learned about Earth from afar. He would then become fond of our little planet and would have to reconcile his loyalty to both planets. Vaughn described it as an “a massive, uplifting, hopeful thing,” and revealed his idea for MAN OF STEEL 2 would’ve incorporated some of the same elements that made up his original idea from over a decade ago.

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Director Zack Snyder would eventually direct Superman’s reboot with MAN OF STEEL, which followed the original storyline of Kal-El crashing onto Earth and being raised in Kansas by the Kents. Given that MOS 2 would’ve likely taken place in the same continuity as the previous movie – as well as BATMAN V. SUPERMAN and JUSTICE LEAGUE – the idea Vaughn had wouldn’t have worked as a whole. Still, there are perhaps still threads of the story Vaughn would’ve worked in, like the character continuing to explore his loyalty as both a Kryptonian and a resident of Earth.

While a MOS 2 directed by Vaughn and starring Cavill is likely off for good, DC may still be open to the idea of a rebooted Superman or at least a new, standalone outing. They’re currently doing the same thing with Matt Reeves’ new Batman movie, which has officially cast Robert Pattinson as the Dark Knight, taking over for Ben Affleck. Maybe their down to revisit Superman now as well, and Vaughn’s take sounds as fresh as any.