Zack Snyder has no current plans to return to DC, but says an adaptation of Dark Knight Returns is the only project that could potentially coax him back.
The former DC director told The Hollywood Reporter that he called James Gunn to "wish all the best for him" when it revealed that he and Peter Safran were taking over as the new leaders of the DC Universe, noting that he "wanted it to work" - though his own career was shifting away from the superhero genre.
However, if (and it's a big if) Gunn were to invite him back to DC, Snyder claims he would only be interested in doing an adaptation of Frank Miller's Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, one that would be "a true representation of the graphic novel."
On the Marvel front, Snyder says the only thing that could truly lure him in with a Daredevil and Elektra movie, like an adaptation of Frank Miller's Elektra Lives Again, "but that's it." And he says he doesn't think he would take on Star Wars, even as Rebel Moon was originally pitched as a Star Wars movie.
Widely regarded as one of the greatest Batman stories ever told, Frank Miller's Dark Knight Returns is a dark and starkly rendered Elseworlds tale that takes place in an alternate universe where a middle-aged Bruce Wayne comes out of retirement and resumes his war on crime in a decaying Cold war-era Gotham City.
It wasn't amongst the projects announced for the new DCU's first phase, referred to as Chapter One: Gods and Monsters, but Gunn still has plans for Caped Crusader with the upcoming film The Brave and the Bold, which will focus on young Damian Wayne, the ten-year-old son of Batman, raised in secret to be an assassin. Plus, there's still Matt Reeves' take on the character, with The Batman II set for Oct. 3, 2025.
Batman: The Brave and the Bold is one of 10 other projects in the first phase of the new DCU, which will launch with Superman: Legacy in 2025 and also includes Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, Swamp Thing, and The Authority alongside five TV shows: Creature Commandos, Waller, Lanterns, Booster Gold, and Paradise Lost.
Meanwhile, Snyder is busy working on Rebel Moon for Netflix. The sci-fi adventure will span two parts, with the first released in December and the sequel in April 2024. Snyder Cuts of both films are also on the way, and discussions about expanding the universe with follow-ups and a TV series are already happening.
Thumbnail credit: Alexandre Schneider/Getty Images for NETFLIX
Adele Ankers-Range is a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. You can follow her on X @AdeleAnkers.
