The keen-eyed crew over at Ain’t It Cool news have spotted an interesting piece of set dressing in Will Smith’s post-apocalyptic zombie thriller I am Legend.

A billboard seen in the background of one scene, set in 2012, clearly shows a giant movie poster with a composite Batman/Superman emblem reminiscent of the logo for Jeph Loeb’s uneven but entertaining comic book series. The release date given on the poster is May 15, 2010.

In spite of optimistic speculation by feverish fanboys the image seems not to be a deep-cover viral marketing stunt, just a sight gag from producer Akiva Goldsman who was at one involved in the Superman/Batman movie project which has been stuck in development hell for some years now.

Batman and Superman have been teaming up in the comics since the 1940s, but fans hoping for a movie featuring both of DC's hottest properties have so far had to contend themselves with Sandy Collora’s admirable low-budget fan film World’s Finest. Rumours of a Batman/Superman movie have been at their strongest since the recent rejuvenation of the two movie franchises but neither Christian Bale nor Brandon Routh are currently attached to the project.

As a bonus, particularly observant I am Legend audiences can also spot a fleeting glimpse of the Alex Ross-illustrated poster for an imaginary Green Lantern DVD as Will Smith passes a video shop window. The only attempt so far to film DC’s interplanetary lawman, with his almost impossible-to-represent powers, got no further than a series of discussions with Jack Black. Which is probably just as well. If Nacho Libre taught us anything, it’s that Jack isn’t cut out for lycra.

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