David S. Goyer Talks Man Of Steel, Da Vinci’s Demons

Superman comes flying back into theaters this June, and one of the men tasked with reinventing the classic superhero character — “Man of Steel” screenwriter David S. Goyer – said the timing couldn’t be better.

“I think the movie is going to be the right movie for the times,” Goyer told AccessHollywood.com on Saturday as he sat down to discuss his April 12-due Starz series, “Da Vinci’s Demons,” at the Television Critics Association Winter Session 2013 in Pasadena, Calif.

“I’m happy that movie is going to be coming out this summer because I think it’s the kind of movie that the world needs right now,” the screenwriter added.

“A hero?” Access asked.

“He’s an unabashed hero,” Goyer noted.

As a writer, Goyer was instrumental in helping create the most modern Batman (portrayed by Christian Bale), penning the story for “Batman Begins,” as well as writing the stories for “The Dark Knight” and “The Dark Knight Rises,” with director Christopher Nolan.

Surprisingly, Goyer admitted that reinventing Superman, who is played now by British actor Henry Cavill, wasn’t as easy as other characters he’s tackled.

“He’s trickier. It’s kind of easier doing like a dark character who doesn’t have any superpower,” he told Access. “But I’m really proud of what we’ve done and I can’t wait for people to see it.”

Goyer said he never expected to tackle Superman, but it was a challenge he enjoyed taking on.

“I think the only way to possibly top myself or ourselves, Batman, is to tackle Superman who’s kind of the granddaddy of all the superheroes,” he said.

This April, Goyer is bringing another one of his reinvented characters – historical figure Leonardo Da Vinci – to the small screen in the Starz drama “Da Vinci’s Demons.”

“The phrase, ‘Renaissance Man’ was literally created for him. He’s the kind of genius that only comes about every thousand years or something like that,” Goyer, who created and wrote the show, told Access. “People have said, aside from Christ, he’s the most recognized figure in history. He kind of did it all.

“It’d be more accurate to say — instead of, ‘What did he do?’ ‘What didn’t he do?’” Goyer continued. “He invented the bicycle and the helicopter and the tank and the machine gun and the submarine…. Just – oh — on the side painted the most famous paintings of all time… He was known to be quite outspoken… He was a controversial figure and we won’t be shying away from controversy on this show.”

The series will look at Da Vinci, age 25, when not a great amount is known about his life.

“It’s great when you come across a historical figure where a certain amount is known and then there are these gaps, because that gives you the latitude and one of the kind of catch phrases of the show is, ‘History is a lie,’ so there’s a wink and a nudge to what we’re doing with history.”

“Man of Steel” hits theaters on June 14.

— Jolie Lash