'Batman vs. Superman': 'Man of Steel' sequel title?

As you may have heard if you have been on the internet or around another human being in the last 72 hours, Warner Bros. is making a sequel to Man of Steel, and it will feature both Henry Cavill’s Superman AND another presumably-attractive actor playing Batman. (Gosling maybe?) The press release announcing the movie introduced the creative team (everyone who made Man of Steel) and a release date (summer 2015). It did not, however, explicitly state the title of the movie. However, at a different Comic-Con panel celebrating Superman’s 75th anniversary, screenwriter David S. Goyer claimed there were only two options. “We’re actually not sure whether the title is Superman vs. Batman or Batman vs. Superman.”

The folks at Comic Book Movie did some snooping and came up with some convincing evidence that Batman vs. Superman is currently the most likely title for the movie. [UPDATE: The original reporting on both Goyer’s comments and the domain name actually came from ComicBook.com. We regret not crediting them originally.] The title has some roots in Superman movie lore; way back in 2003, the studio was thisclose to making Batman vs. Superman, which would’ve simultaneously relaunched both superhero franchises. The film would’ve been directed by Wolfgang Petersen. Fortunately for history, the studio wound up rebooting the franchises separately, with Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins leading the charge. (Unfortunately for history, Petersen made Troy instead.)

Warner Bros. wouldn’t comment on the film’s title at this point, which makes sense: Having gotten a big buzz-bump from the initial announcement, now they can get another Twitter takeover when they actually title the thing. Still, something about the “Vs.” title seems a bit unlikely. It conjures up monster mashes like Freddy vs. Jason or Godzilla vs. King Kong. The superhero films produced by Christopher Nolan have trended classier. (Remember: He’s the guy who made two Batman movies without “Batman” in the title.) The ampersanded Batman & Superman seems more likely. Or maybe Men of Steel? Or perhaps Road to Gotham City? Or maybe the more accurate Super Christ Figure Punch-Out!