The Journey of Zack Snyder and the Fate of the SnyderVerse
Few filmmakers have undergone as much with a franchise as Zack Snyder has with DC. The visionary began tackling material from the pages of DC Comics with Watchmen, considered one of the greatest graphic novels ever published. Snyder’s take on Watchmen was met with mixed reviews, but the film has since earned a cult following, a trend that would continue as the director put his spin on other DC characters. After Watchmen, Warner Bros. handed the Superman franchise over to Snyder, who went on to deliver the divisive Man of Steel and launched the DC Extended Universe.
Many filmmakers tried and failed to bring the DC icons together on the big screen, and Snyder ultimately became the first to do it with Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League. During that time, Snyder was instrumental in building the DC Extended Universe, but it’s also well-documented how Warner Bros. fired the director from Justice League. However, following a vocal fan campaign, the impossible happened, and Snyder eventually released his version of the Justice League film on streaming with an epic four-hour cut. Snyder had much more planned for DC beyond Justice League, but it would never come to pass. To this day, a legion of fans still hopes the SnyderVerse will continue in some capacity, but recent signs point to the opposite.
Zack Snyder Moved to Netflix After His Time With the DCEU
While Snyder’s films have always been an acquired taste, with their critical reception reflecting that, there’s no denying the filmmaker has an incredible cinematic eye. Following the long-awaited release of his Justice League film, Snyder moved on from Warner Bros. and signed a first-look deal at Netflix. The streamer is notorious for giving filmmakers creative freedom on their projects, so it felt like a perfect match for Snyder after his experience with Warner Bros.
At Netflix, Snyder had ambitious plans and began with a return to his zombie roots with Army of the Dead. For the 2021 film, Snyder served as director, writer, producer, and, for the first time, cinematographer. Army of the Dead featured a talented cast that included Dave Bautista and Ella Purnell, and it turned out to be one of Snyder’s most successful efforts as a filmmaker to date.
In addition to Army of the Dead, Snyder also planned more in the universe, with the prequel Army of Thieves released later that year. Snyder also had plans for an animated series titled Army of the Dead: Lost Vegas, but that project would never become a reality, nor would a sequel to the first film.
The Army of the Dead franchise wasn’t the only project Snyder was developing at Netflix. Following the first Army of the Dead film, Snyder moved on to helm two Rebel Moon films, based on an initial pitch for a Star Wars film years ago. Snyder intended for the Rebel Moon series to span several films and expand into other mediums, but after the poor streaming numbers and reception, Netflix never moved forward with the franchise. Moreover, Snyder planned for the Army of the Dead and Rebel Moon franchises to eventually intersect in the Last Vegas anime series.
The most recent Snyder project released under Netflix was the Twilight of the Gods series, unrelated to his other projects for the streamer. While the series received favorable reviews, Netflix reportedly canceled it after one season. As far as what Snyder could tackle next, the filmmaker has been working on a few projects. At one point, Snyder was developing an LAPD action film before Netflix passed on it, but his next film will be The Last Photograph, a passion project he’s been trying to make for years, which is currently in production.
Netflix Is in the Running To Purchase Warner Bros.
The biggest news story surrounding Hollywood at the moment is the fate of Warner Bros., which is currently up for sale, with Paramount, Skydance, Comcast, and Netflix all placing bids to acquire the company. Whoever takes over Warner Bros. will also control DC Studios, and with Netflix in the mix, some fans speculate it could pave the way for the SnyderVerse to return in some form.
The verdict is still out on who could buy Warner Bros., and there’s a chance the studio ends up without a buyer or that the sale occurs later. In other superhero franchises, major purchases and mergers greatly influenced what ended up on the screen. When Disney merged with 20th Century Fox, Marvel Studios regained the rights to the X-Men and Fantastic Four franchises. As a result, characters from Fox’s past Marvel films returned in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and Marvel Studios also rebooted the Fantastic Four, with plans to do the same with the X-Men.
The ramifications of a new owner taking over Warner Bros. will extend far beyond the DC franchise and reshape the entertainment industry as we know it. However, DC is one of Warner Bros.’ most appealing properties, and the studio recently rebooted the franchise under the newly formed DC Studios, led by Peter Safran and James Gunn.
It’s Hard To Imagine the SnyderVerse Returning
When David Zaslav took over as the CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery in 2022, he made some significant decisions for the company, and one of the biggest was appointing Gunn and Safran to run DC. With Gunn and Safran ushering in a new era for DC, they canceled many projects in development, including a Wonder Woman sequel and a Man of Steel follow-up. Warner Bros. and DC Studios also controversially prevented the Batgirl film from being released in favor of a tax write-off.
Gunn and Safran cleared out the DC Extended Universe to make way for the new DCU, which is finally underway, and so far, it’s off to a much better start than Snyder’s run. Creature Commandos, Superman, and Peacemaker Season 2 have also received better reviews than Snyder’s DC films, which has been crucial as the franchise looks to change its perception. Moreover, Superman became a financial success for Warner Bros., grossing over $600 million worldwide.
Despite DC Studios moving forward with a new universe, some still believe Snyder’s universe could return under the Elseworlds banner, which will operate outside DC and feature projects like The Batman — Part II. Not only is the bar high for the Elseworlds label in terms of quality, but Snyder has also expressed interest in exploring stories outside the superhero genre, unless they were a direct adaptation of The Dark Knight Returns or a Daredevil film.
Even if Netflix purchases Warner Bros., it’s unlikely the studio would want to resurrect Snyder’s universe. The filmmaker hasn’t necessarily delivered for the streamer, and Scott Suber, who was the head of Netflix at the time of Snyder’s first-look deal, is no longer at the company. Instead of a return of Snyder’s radical DC vision, fans can expect to see Snyder releasing smaller projects like The Last Photograph and Brawler, a UFC film he’s also developing.
Zack Snyder might not have been able to realize his complete vision for the DC Universe, but he still achieved far more than other filmmakers who have played in the superhero sandbox. Not to mention Snyder’s run at DC wasn’t as successful as Warner Bros. needed it to be. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice failed to gross a billion dollars, and none of his films were crowd-pleasers compared to the MCU at the time. Snyder challenged the idea of superheroes like Superman in his movies, and they were far more driven by his vision than accessibility.
Snyder’s approach to the DC mythos wasn’t for everyone, but the filmmaker still made an undeniable impact on the genre. Directors like Christopher Nolan, Sam Raimi, James Gunn, and others have redefined what’s possible with superheroes on the big screen, and Snyder belongs in that esteemed group. While Snyder’s films weren’t the most well-received, his vision for the figures was groundbreaking, recreating iconic panels from the source material and leaning into the characters’ mythic nature.
Snyder’s superhero films remain among the strongest translations of the comic book medium. The portrayal of the heroes in them might not be definitive, but it’s hard not to appreciate their beauty and boldness. Even though anything is certainly possible, Snyder’s recent track record doesn’t suggest a return to his DC Universe. Still, it doesn’t have to take away from what happened either, as all good things eventually come to an end, as they did for Nolan and Raimi.
