In the continuing and inevitable battle between box office juggernauts Marvel and DC, more shots have been fired.
To get you up to speed: Earlier this month, “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” director Zack Snyder stated that Batman and Superman are “transcendent of superhero movies.” His comments were in response to Steven Spielberg”s prediction that superhero flicks will eventually “go the way of the Western.” But Snyder believes the Dark Knight and the Man of Steel will stand the test of time, unlike a certain Marvel character.
“They”re not just, like, the flavor of the week ‘Ant-Man” – not to be mean, but whatever it is. What is the next Blank-Man?” Snyder said.
Now, in a recent interview with Collider, here”s what “Captain America” actor Sebastian Stan had to say in response:
I”m sitting here and I”m listening to you and I”m thinking, “Do I want to fire some shots at DC right now, at Zack Snyder?” I read some of those comments where he said something about Batman and Superman, I can”t remember where I read that, somewhere… Something about, “It”s not going to be your flavor-of-the-week Ant-Man.” And I was like, “Oh thanks, Zack. That”s great. Way to do something original.” But I would say we”re still making something very original in our own way. I mean, the Russos are coming in and taking something people are used to and they”re shaping it up and changing it in a very different way. They”re not trying to mimic a better Christopher Nolan movie or something like that.
“Original” isn”t exactly a word that can be attributed to any comic book movie, as Hollywood keeps churning out adaptations of characters that have been around for years, often decades. But Stan hits upon a key question in the “will audiences stay interested in superhero movies?” debate: Can the genre stay fresh and relevant? He mentions the Russos, who delivered us a political thriller touching on real-world, current issues with “Captain America: The Winter Soldier.” The superhero genre may save itself from running out of steam by delivering timely tales that touch on real-world issues (while still supplying some escapist popcorn fun) and by keeping up with what audiences want to see in their caped crusaders – whether that”s a mighty good guy fighting evil dudes or a conflicted but badass vigilante. Whatever form superheroes take, their biggest foe somewhere down the road may be superhero movie fatigue.
Both Snyder and Stan are gearing up for new superhero movies with 2016 release dates. “Batman v Superman” will open on March 25, and “Captain America: Civil War” hits theaters on May 6.
Take a look at our thoughts on the matter in the video below: