'Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice' release date, cast, plot & spoilers: new production photos released; film costs $410 million to make? [rumors]

Just how much does it take to make a superhero film? According to IGN, it's $410 million—and that's for only one DC film, specifically the upcoming "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" arriving in March next year. While this is only a rumor, the number is already a match for "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides", which is also one of the most expensive films in the recent years.

To get back what the studio invested, if it really is around the ballpark of the $410 million figure, they will have to rev up their marketing to get more people to cash in once the film hits theaters. Screenrant reports that promotion for Dawn of Justice has been ongoing since the New York Comic Con, where Wi-Fi was sponsored by LexCorp as part of the studio's marketing. Screenrant also reports that Total Film will feature Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, and Gal Gadot on the cover of the magazine's latest issue, along with stills from the full-length Batman v Superman trailer.

Affleck, Cavill and Gadot will be joined by director Zack Snyder to talk about new details about the upcoming film. The issue will drop tomorrow, so that's one thing to keep fans satiated before the movie comes in March.

Snyder told Total Film about pitting the two heroes against each other, "You kind of have to understand both of their point of views. I think you’re sympathetic to both, in a weird way. It’s inevitable, like two trains heading at each other on the same track."

Another surprise for fans is that Michael Shannon's General Zod is making an appearance in Dawn of Justice. While fans thought that they have seen the last of the Kryptonian enemy in Man of Steel, Shannon makes a surprise appearance in the extended trailer presented during the San Diego Comic Con.

Cinema Blend got the exclusive from the actor, who has been coy about Dawn of Justice. He finally admitted that he comes back as some sort of an apparition. He said, "I say some stuff. But not a whole lot! I mean, I am dead. [Laughs] I’m just like a ghost. It’s kind of like Russell Crowe in the first one. Jor-El. For some reason, these Kryptonian spirits, they linger. Even once you crack my neck, you can’t shut me up."

It seems that Shannon isn't the only one who's pumped for Dawn of Justice, as writer and executive producer David Goyer expressed his sheer excitement for the film in a recent conversation with Collider. He said, "I think just the kind of giddiness in being a kid that grew up going to the comic book store every Saturday and reading comic books in which these two epic characters clashed. Just the fact that I got to be involved in something like that is crazy. Much less that I got to be involved in two cinematic iterations of Batman is also crazy."

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice hits theaters on March 25, 2016.