Zack Snyder might not have parted ways with Warner Bros. on the best of terms, but contrary to what followers of the Snyder cult might believe, he bears no hostility towards James Gunn or his newfound DCU venture. According to an exclusive feature with The Hollywood Reporter, the controversial filmmaker recently expressed goodwill towards Gunn and Peter Safran, the new co-CEOs at DC Studios.
Snyder revealed how he was mid-shoot for his ambitious space opera Rebel Moon when he learned the news about Gunn and Safran’s appointment. In a classy move, Gunn disclosed how he reached out to Gunn to congratulate him, as anybody who is well-versed in their works knows that their history runs deep.
Rewinding to 2004, Snyder directed Dawn of the Dead from a script written by none other than James Gunn. In 2021, and Snyder served as an executive producer on Gunn’s The Suicide Squad, proving that their collaborative efforts are more than just Hollywood business.
Though Gunn’s DCU journey is only starting, for Snyder, it can only be described as stuff of legend. While he had already proved his aptitude in the superhero genre with Watchmen, his mettle was truly tested in 2013’s Man of Steel.
$668 million in box office returns was more than enough for Warner Bros. to entrust Snyder with its next big DC project, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, which he followed up shortly with Justice League. However, life’s a rollercoaster, and Snyder had to step away from Justice League for personal reasons, passing the baton to Joss Whedon.
Fortunately, Snyder’s vision lived on, culminating in Zack Snyder’s Justice League, which was unleashed on HBO Max in 2021 after an online petition forced Warner Bros. hand.
Sadly, that was the last we would see of Snyder in the DC Extended Universe, after reports emerged that the Snyderverse was officially sleeping with the fishes. As Snyder explained in the THR feature, trouble began brewing when Warner Bros. decided to turn Justice League into a Marvel film.
In his own words, “We cared deeply about what we were doing. We weren’t trying to make an Avengers movie. We weren’t. We didn’t know how, quite frankly. They brought someone in that did. I’ve never seen the [Whedon version], but it wasn’t the answer.”
Thankfully, this heartbreaking moment in Snyder’s life hasn’t soured him completely from making superhero movies. He wants to get back on the saddle again, and one project that he’s eyeing on is an adaptation of The Dark Knight Returns.
Published in 1986, The Dark Knight Returns is a true-to-the-graphic-novel portrayal echoing themes Snyder explored in Dawn of Justice. The story takes place in a future where crime and corruption have overrun Gotham City. Bruce Wayne has been retired from his role as Batman for a decade, haunted by the loss of his proteges and the increasing lawlessness of the city.
At the age of 55, Bruce Wayne is compelled to don the Batman hood once again as Gotham’s situation worsens. But, his return is met with mixed reactions. While some citizens see him as a symbol of hope, others view him as a vigilante and a relic of the past, sparking controversy and a political debate about vigilante justice. The government, particularly the Gotham City Police Department, views Batman as a threat to law and order, which leads to a tense standoff between Batman and the authorities.
The climax of the four-issue comic book is every nerd’s dream: with an aged Batman squaring off against Superman, the former symbol of hope turned government pawn.
If Snyder were to get his hands on this, it would be a grand, dark, and unapologetically Snyder-esque epic, but right now, this is only a pipe dream. Despite the Snyder and Gunn armies clashing on online forums relentlessly, it seems there’s no bad blood between the two American filmmakers.
However, whether Snyder should return to make The Dark Knight Returns adaptation a reality is a whole different story. Occasionally, I’ll rewatch Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. My biggest gripe is that Snyder seriously misunderstood Batman as a superhero. Of the many redeeming qualities of the caped crusader, his greatest is his immutable rule about killing.
Given this, it makes very little sense why Snyder’s Batman has a kill count of over 10 people in just BvS alone. Sure, seeing Batman viciously take out goons who vastly outnumber him makes for great entertainment, but I’d rather have my Batman creatively take down the same goons without any fatalities. The SWAT scene in The Dark Knight is why Nolan’s Batman still stands as arguably the best live-action portrayal.
For now, we can all breathe a sigh of relief considering Snyder’s current focus is on his new sci-fi universe, Rebel Moon. The upcoming sci-fi saga promises to be a two-part extravaganza with extended director’s cuts, an animated series, a podcast, and even a comic book series that serves as a prequel.
