'Man of Steel 2' rumors: 'Star Wars' director J.J. Abrams to direct sequel?

Following scathing reviews by critics of "Suicide Squad" and "Batman v Superman," Warner Bros. reportedly prioritized the filming of "Man of Steel 2." Interestingly, rumors point to "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" director J.J. Abrams being shortlisted for the directorial job.

A number of Warner Brothers' DC Extended Universe film properties have been quite a flop at the cinemas. Compared to Marvel Cinematic Universe, DCEU has been struggling to bring the screen adaptation of their comic book superheroes at par with MCU's box office hit records.

If rumors prove accurate, a purported leak from Reddit user 4chan posted on the forum's DC Cinematic page suggests that the famed director is highly considered for the top job as his name appears on the shortlist.

"The Force Awakens" was a box office phenomenon which reignited public interest in the science fiction franchise "Star Wars." The mega "Star Wars" project plus his successful relaunching of the "Star Trek" franchise have both proved auspicious for Abrams as it helped cement his reputation in the movie industry. With such highly esteemed status, his services won't come cheap.

Other surprising shortlisted names to direct the "Man of Steel" sequel include Doug Liman and Edgar Wright. However, Liman is still busy with other things. Currently, he is working on projects that include the "Edge of Tomorrow" sequel and the highly anticipated "Gambit" spinoff.

Wright is unlikely to accept a superhero-themed film project where his creative control is severely restricted like when he walked away from the "Ant-man" project. This leaves Abrams as the remaining qualified choice to direct the Superman sequel.

Abrams can probably handle the movie as he had previously written a script for "Superman: Flyboy" back in 2002, Movie Web reported. It should give him a solid background material should he ever consider directing the film.

Meanwhile, the "Man of Steel 2" is slated for an October 2018 screen release. The extremely time-constrained schedule explains why the list of qualified directors has been significantly reduced in over a few months after the production was confirmed. As reported by Hollywood Fly, Warner Bros. is reportedly putting a lot of resources on sequel in a bid to revive DCEU's declining fortunes.