This week, the first trailer for one of DC Comics most iconic characters was released.

Man of Steel, which hopes to re-establish the Superman story on film, does not open until next June. However, the buzz following so much debate about the character’s new direction, as well as the ongoing legal wrangling between Warner Bros. and Jerry Siegel’s family, has been underway for some time.

While the cast of actors is of a high pedigree (Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Russell Crowe, Michael Shannon, Diane Lane, Kevin Costner, Laurence Fishburne), the real challenge for many is in embracing Zack Snyder as the film’s Director. Snyder has got visual chops, but it takes much more than beautiful images to direct a film — and Snyder has missed on every attempt before Man of Steel. Even if you excuse 300 as an artsy experiment in execution, think Sucker Punch or the misguided Watchmen. At Man of Steel’s estimated budget of $225M, one has to wonder what Warner Bros. was thinking in hiring Snyder.

The answer is in the Producer — visionary filmmaker Christopher Nolan.

As the creative force behind the blockbuster trilogy for The Dark Knight, as well as arthouse hits (Memento and The Prestige) and the recent brain-twister-thriller, Inception, Nolan has proven that he can successfully navigate massive productions and yield original stories with high emotional impact. In addition, Nolan supported David S Goyer’s screenplay for Man of Steel (he is the writer behind Blade and The Dark Knight films).

One hopes that the guiding hand of a visionary, such as Nolan, can make the difference for Snyder this time. It’s the ultimate match-up between a Hack (Snyder) and a Visionary (Nolan).