'Man of Steel' Sequel Fast Tracked with Zack Snyder and David Goyer Returning

It's the sign of ultimate confidence when a studio begins prepping a sequel before the first film even opens. With Man of Steel days away from what's expected to be a monster debut, Warner Bros. hasn't just green lit a sequel, they've gone ahead and made sure it arrives faster than a speeding bullet.

The report out of Deadline says that Zack Snyder will be brought back to direct the follow-up, which is being fast-tracked with David Goyer returning to pen the script. Christopher Nolan will still be involved as a producer, although he's expected to take a step back and not be quite as involved the next time around.  Henry Cavill will be back, as well, and we knew the studio was fully backing the new star, as they were confident enough to have him replace Tom Cruise in The Man from UNCLE.

So where does this put a Justice League movie? Snyder has been rumored to be handling that as well, but this news will likely push it back a few more years. It had been Snyder's wish to move Superman further along before bringing in other heroes, recently saying "I feel like you need to get Superman a little further down the road before you can do a Justice League movie.... All I’m saying is that you’ve got to get Superman further down the road." A sequel will obviously accomplish that task, and perhaps open the door for other heroes to be introduced before Justice League can become a reality.

Is it too early to start talking villain? Darkseid was the rumor baddie for Justice League back when it was assumed to be next in line, but could the plan be moved up now that Man of Steel 2 is confirmed? On a personal note, I literally just walked out of seeing Man of Steel an hour ago, and I want this sequel to happen like yesterday.