There’s been plenty of buzz that Zack Snyder’s upcoming “Batman vs. Superman†film will feature an appearance by Wonder Woman, and Greg Silverman, Warner Bros.’ president of creative development and worldwide production, addressed the rumor Monday at the Variety Entertainment & Tech Summit.
When asked by Variety‘s Claudia Eller whether the film would introduce other DC Comics superheroes, such as Wonder Woman, Green Lantern and the Flash, to reunite part of the Justice League, Silverman took the idea of Wonder Woman and ran with it.
“We have been doing a lot of thinking for years about how to best use all those characters and we love them,†Silverman said. “Wonder Woman is an amazing character. I think it’s a great opportunity both for box office success, but also to have an amazingly powerful female superhero.â€
“Is she going to have her own separate movie or is she going to be a part of this?†Eller asked.
“We are taking it all very seriously and are trying to do a plan that’s respectful to those characters and maximizes the stories as best they can,†Silverman said, dodging the question. “So everything that has been speculated are things that we’ve thought about.â€
Silverman also addressed the studio’s controversial casting of Ben Affleck as Batman — fans even signed a petition urging Warner Bros. to remove Affleck from the film — standing by Warner’s choice of the Oscar winner for the role.
“We knew going in that we had more information than the general public had,†he said. “We knew what the take of the movie was, we knew what the character was going to be. We don’t take these decisions lightly. We thought about everybody — brand new people, established people. Ben is the perfect guy to play this role.â€
And although he didn’t give any details away about how Affleck’s character will interact with Henry Cavill’s Superman (“they both will be wearing suits, there are capes involved, there will be action, there will be excitementâ€), he did stress that Snyder and screenwriter David Goyer’s story will do both characters justice.
“They’ve crafted a great story,†he said. “I mean, this is where it all comes from for us. It’s just a great story that involves these amazing characters.â€
He also discussed the studio’s latest project with J.K. Rowling — the adaptation of her Hogwarts textbook, “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,†into a film about that book’s fictitious author, Newt Scamander.
“We have decided as a company that we are going to support J.K. Rowling in her artistic endeavors,†he said. “She’s been a huge part of our success, and (our CEO Kevin Tsujihara) and her really have a great relationship.â€
And unlike other writers who work with the studio, Silverman said that Rowling has no script deadline.
“Every writer at Warner Bros. has a deadline, unless you’ve been involved in a multibillion-dollar franchise,†he said.