History will be made this weekend when Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice hits the big screen, marking the first time that both of these iconic DC Comics heroes will be seen together in a live-action movie. Of course, they aren't the only DC characters featured, with Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot), Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg) and many others joining in the fun as well. As it turns out, though, the movie almost featured two very popular villains, The Joker and The Riddler, according to director Zack Snyder. Here's what the filmmaker had to say in an interview with Collider, about why he chose not to feature these two devilish icons.
"The Joker and The Riddlerboth came close to being in this movie. We talked about the possibility of putting them in. [Screenwriter] Chris Terrio and I talked about it a lot and felt that their mythological presence is felt in the movie and that's cool, but I didn't want to get my eye too far off the ball because I needed to spend the time, frankly, with Batman and Superman to understand the conflict."
One of the early trailers for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justicefeatured a shot where Bruce Wayne gazes upon his sidekick Robin's costume, which had a graffitti message most assume came from The Joker. Until now, It was never confirmed if The Joker appears in the movie. But we'll get to see him on the big screen this summer in Suicide Squad, with Jared Leto taking on the clown prince of crime. It isn't known how The Riddler's presence will be "felt" in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, but we'll find out in just a few short days.
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice launches Warner Bros. new DC Comics slate of movies over the next several years. Next up will be Suicide Squad (August 5, 2016), followed by Wonder Woman (June 23, 2017), Justice League Part 1 (November 17, 2017), The Flash (March 23, 2018), Aquaman (July 27, 2018), Shazam! (April 5, 2019), Justice League Part 2 (June 14, 2019), Cyborg (April 3, 2020) and Green Lantern Corps.(June 19, 2020). It isn't known if The Joker will appear in any of these other movies besides Suicide Squad, or if there are plans to bring The Riddler into the fold as well.
Early box office projections have Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justiceearning between $120 million and $140 million domestically, with a global debut of anywhere between $300 million and $340 million. Do you think these projections would be bigger if The Joker and The Riddler were featured in the movie? Chime in with your thoughts below, and stay tuned for more on Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, hitting theaters March 25.
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