Zack Snyder And J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot Are Having A DC/Star Wars Tweet-Off

By David Wharton | Published

This article is more than 2 years old

They’re two of the biggest pop culture events on the horizon. Zack Snyder is attempting not only to serve up a sequel to the high-grossing but controversial Man of Steel, he’s kicking off an ambitious planned series of interlinked DC films designed to rival Marvel’s massively successful Cinematic Universe. And then there’s J.J. Abrams, also a larger-than-life Hollywood personality some love to hate, who’s bringing Star Wars back to the big screen in a major way with Episode VII, which will itself kick off a reinvigorated — and more tightly policed, canon-wise, Star Wars universe. I imagine Snyder and Abrams would have plenty to talk about should they get the chance to share a beer at some point, but in the meantime they’ve been busy tweet-flirting. It all started with the image below, tweeted by Snyder just as San Diego Comic-Con was kicking into gear.

If you can’t tell, that’s Snyder’s Superman, British actor Henry Cavill, channeling his inner Jedi with just a hint of Kal-El’s iconic costume peeking out from under the robes. It was pretty clearly just a bit of fun, but that didn’t stop people on the internet from speculating that it might be hinting at some sort of of secret Snyder Star Wars project, or that Cavill might have a role in Episode VII, or that he has a cooler rain slicker than you do. All of which is just silly; if you’re going to over-analyze the thing, how about the fact that, in spite of the #SuperJedi hashtag, he’s wielding a red Sith lightsaber?

Regardless of Snyder’s intentions, the folks on the Star Wars side of the equation decided #SuperJedi deserved a response of their own. And thus was born #BOYEGAMAN.

He’s not quite as recognizable as Cavill — expect that to change after Episode VII releases — but that’s upcoming Star Wars star John Boyega, sporting a Batman cowl and a classic Star Wars blaster pistol. He’s one of the newcomers joining original Star Wars stars Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, and Mark Hamill. While there are rumors a’plenty, we still don’t officially know who Boyega is playing, but he does a decent Batman scowl, in case DC is paying attention and Ben Affleck gets hit by a bus or something.

Bad Robot’s #BOYEGAMAN contribution wasn’t the end of it, however. Over the weekend Snyder fired another Twitter volley, this time giving Batman the sidekick he deserves, if not the one he needs right now.

Snyder’s “BATMAN & R2BIN” is my favorite of the bunch, simply because 1) I would watch the shit out of that mash-up, and 2) production values! As Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice set photographer Clay Enos later revealed, the latest crossover tweet was created using a couple of toys and an iPhone, but it looks surprisingly convincing. At least until Mr. Context comes along and ruins all the fun…

So now the ball is in Bad Robot’s court, and we hope this back-and-forth continues all the way through the release of their respective movies. If anybody’s listening, I’m casting my vote for a shot of Harrison Ford dressed like Silver Age Flash Jay Garrick.

Star Wars: Episode VII will hit theaters on December 18, 2015. Snyder’s Superman v. Batman: Dawn of Justice is due five months later, on May 6, 2016. Here’s hoping they’re both worth the wait.

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