Does A David Goyer 'Man Of Steel' Mean Superman Will Join The 'Justice League'?

While the verdict's still out on whether David Goyer is writing a new Superman movie titled "The Man of Steel," the prospect of the "Batman Begins" co-writer penning Clark Kent's return to the big screen certainly raises some big questions — especially for anyone hoping to see Superman and Batman team up down the road.

Earlier this month, a rumor hit the 'Net claiming that "Batman Begins" and "The Dark Knight" director Christopher Nolan had been tagged to shepherd a new Superman movie franchise. While DC Entertainment denied the rumor last week, today's reports would seem to indicate that the Batman pair are indeed involved in some capacity with plotting the course of the Man of Steel's future.

So, if Superman and Batman are now under the same creative team's purview, is it crazy to think those two worlds could overlap at some point? Before you get too excited for a "Justice League" movie, there are some important points to consider.

Way back in 2008, Nolan seemed to dismiss the idea of his Batman joining a superhero team during an interview with The L.A. Times, going so far as to say, "I don't think our Batman, our Gotham, lends itself to that kind of cross-fertilization."

However, it's the rest of his statement that could merit some further analysis, given the current state of Superman and Batman movie universes.

"If you think of 'Batman Begins' and you think of the philosophy of this character trying to reinvent himself as a symbol, we took the position — we didn't address it directly in the film, but we did take the position philosophically — that superheroes simply don't exist," said Nolan. "If they did, if Bruce knew of Superman or even of comic books, then that's a completely different decision that he's making when he puts on a costume in an attempt to become a symbol. It's a paradox and a conundrum, but what we did is go back to the very original concept and idea of the character. In his first appearances, he invents himself as a totally original creation."

Now, that's all well and good, but given the development of Batman's universe and the relative absence of any movie universe for Superman these days, Nolan's worries might be a thing of the past. Introducing Superman to the Dark Knight's universe at this point in the DC timeline (well after the point when Bruce Wayne first donned the cape and cowl) might not have the effect Nolan feared two years ago.

It's also worth noting that if the rumors prove true, Goyer will be juggling creative duties on both "Man of Steel" and the third Batman movie at the same time. While it's fairly normal for writers to work on multiple projects simultaneously, it's far less common to do so with two projects as high-profile as this pair — and increasingly unlikely that the two projects would develop independently of each other.

So, in addition to all this hypothetical groundwork for a live-action meeting of Superman and Batman, what other theoretical evidence can we add to the fire? How about Goyer's experience scripting the adventures of another superhero team, The Justice Society of America?

As the co-writer of "JSA" in the late '90s and early '00s alongside James Robinson and newly appointed chief creative officer of DC Entertainment, Geoff Johns, Goyer already has some background putting a team of superheroes together on the page. For more than 50 issues, Goyer and his co-writers managed the adventures of Hawkman, Captain Marvel, Sandman, Alan Scott and various other heroes, and if recent rumors hold any truth, we could find out if that background will translate to the big screen, too.

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Tags david goyer, justice league, justice league of america, man of steel, superman