Comic-Con 2013: Superman Will Square Off Against Batman In 'Man Of Steel' Sequel

Comic-Con 2013 in San Diego has seen some big announcements, but none was more exciting than the news coming out of Hall H’s “Man of Steel” panel on Saturday. Not only will “Man of Steel” be getting a sequel soon, director Zack Snyder announced, but that sequel will also see Superman square off against the world’s greatest detective, Batman.

Not only did Snyder and company announce the Superman-Batman crossover movie, but they did it in perhaps one of the most satisfying ways possible for comic book fans, CNET reports. At the panel, Henry Lennox, who played Gen. Swanwick in “Man of Steel,” made the announcement by reading from the most classic Batman vs. Superman comic of all time, Frank Miller’s “The Dark Knight Returns.”

"I want you to remember, Clark, in all the years to come, in all your most private moments, I want you to remember my hand at your throat,” Lennox read to the audience as a combined Batman and Superman logo appeared onscreen. “I want you to remember the one man who beat you.”

Snyder announced that they weren’t doing a straight-up adaptation of “The Dark Knight Returns” (which comes as somewhat of a relief, considering “The Dark Knight Rises” already lifted several story elements), but that the new Superman-Batman film would draw heavily from the comic.

In Miller’s 1986 classic “The Dark Knight Returns,” an aging, grizzled Batman comes out of retirement amid rising crime in Gotham City. In the comic’s climax, Batman and Superman square off in the same alley where Bruce Wayne's parents were killed (You might be able to guess who wins based on the quote Lennox read). “The Dark Knight Returns” is generally credited with moving Batman and Superman’s relationship away from cheesy “Superfriends” chummery into an uneasy alliance built on mutual respect and skepticism.

There’s no word yet on a plot (or even a title), but with a “Justice League” movie reportedly in the pipeline, it seems obvious that the two superheroes will eventually have to set aside their differences to defeat a greater threat at the movie’s climax.

The Superman-Batman movie will be directed by Snyder, with a screenplay by him and “Man of Steel” screenwriter David S. Goyer. Christopher Nolan will serve as executive producer. Filming is expected to begin next summer, with a release date in 2015.