Warner Bros. pushes Superman-Batman film back to 2016

[January 18, 2014]  LOS ANGELES (Reuters) — Warner Bros. pushed back the release date of the still untitled film that will bring together superheroes Superman and Batman, delaying it by almost a year to May 2016, the studio said on Friday.

The sequel to last year's hit Superman film "Man of Steel" was revealed at the Comic-Con convention last July by director Zack Snyder, who said the two DC Comics' caped crusaders will face off against each other.

Warner Bros., a unit of Time Warner Inc, said in a statement that it needed to move back the date to allow "the filmmakers time to realize fully their vision, given the complex visual nature of the story."

The decision was made after the start of production was moved to the second quarter of this year, Warner Bros. said.

The superhero-duo was originally slated for July 17, 2015, and Warner Bros. said it would put a still untitled Peter Pan adventure into that slot.

"We are happy to take advantage of these coveted summer dates, which are perfect for two of our biggest tentpole releases," said Dan Fellman, president of domestic distribution.

"Man of Steel," starring British actor Henry Cavill as Superman/Clark Kent, premiered in June 2013 and grossed $668 million worldwide. In the North American market, it was the fourth-biggest film of 2013, with ticket sales of $291 million.

In the first encounter of the two superheroes on the big screen, Cavill returns to play Superman, while "Argo" actor and director Ben Affleck has been cast as Batman in a controversial choice that split fans.

(Reporting by Mary Milliken; editing by Ken Wills)

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