These days, all the upcoming DC movies are under the direction of James Gunn and Peter Safran’s ever-growing comic book universe. It follows a tumultuous number of years when Zack Snyder was, and then wasn’t, the architect of the DCEU due to a ton of factors. Has Snyder had a chance to check out the new era of DC?
In a new interview, Snyder confirmed that he hasn’t seen Superman starring David Corenswet or other recent installments like Supergirl or Lanterns. Here’s why, in his words:
Look, it’s a personal thing. I want success for them, and I trust [James Gunn’s] aesthetic and his take. He has a very particular way of making movies and looking at things. [There’s] just a difficulty… It’s just got a lot of baggage.
Snyder and Gunn are actually friends, and Snyder previously gave the new helmer of the DC universe big props for being “singular in his storytelling”. Snyder also applauded James Gunn for how “poignant and funny” his work can be, and how “great” having him in charge will be for fans. At the same time, he’s perhaps too close to it, as he spoke to on the Happy Sad Confused podcast.
Zack Snyder joined the Warner Bros. DC universe back in 2010 when he was hired to direct Man of Steel starring Henry Cavill. He then went on to make Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, which came out in the summer of 2016. It was his next project, Justice League, which ended up causing the most behind-the-scenes issues.
While he was in production on Justice League, his daughter Autumn Snyder died by suicide at the age of 20. Zack Snyder understandably left the production, and he was replaced by Joss Whedon as director. Whedon and Warner Bros. made significant changes to Justice League, and following the movie’s release, a campaign for his “Snyder Cut” took hold.
Ultimately, the four-hour cut of Zack Snyder’s Justice League was released for those with an HBO Max subscription back in 2021. Snyder has since moved on from superhero movies (no, he doesn’t want to do Marvel either) and has directed movies like Army of the Dead, the Rebel Moon films, and his latest, The Last Photograph, which just premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival over the weekend.
When it comes to the new DC Universe, there’s a lot on the horizon. Next up is a horror-centric take on Clayface coming next month. Next summer, we’re already getting the sequel to Superman, Man of Tomorrow, and Robert Pattinson’s version of Batman is set to return in early 2028.
Snyder may not have seen James Gunn’s Superman, but it sounds like he has a lot of respect for his successor. Perhaps he’ll check it out someday once he’s had enough space from the DC Universe!
