Zack Snyder joined the โHappy Sad Confusedโ podcast to mark the 10th anniversary of โBatman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,โ his highly-divisive comic book movie that opened to negative reviews on March 25, 2016 but went on to gross a mighty $874 million worldwide. The tentpole was Snyderโs sequel to the already-polarizing โMan of Steel,โ which sent comic book fans into a tizzy for depicting Superman killing Zod, and โBvSโ only divided fans further with Batman killing criminals, the two heroes bonding over their moms both being named Martha and more.
โMy 100% honest reaction to โBvSโ and how itโs received in the world isโฆ Do you really want a movie thatโs had all the edges shaved off it by the focus groups?โ Snyder said in defense of the movie 10 years later. โDo you really want a movie where the decisions have been made in a boardroom, or tested ideas have been rendered for your enjoyment? Do you really want the Kmart version of your story? Is that what you really want?โ
โBatman v Supermanโ was the second movie in Snyderโs DC Universe, dubbed the โSnyderVerseโ online by his legion of fans. โJustice Leagueโ came next with its own polarizations after Snyder left the production due to a family tragedy and the studio brought in Joss Whedon to rewrite scenes and conduct reshoots. This led to a social media movement of Snyder fans calling Warner Bros to release the โSnyder Cutโ of โJustice League,โ which the studio permitted. โZack Snyderโs Justice Leagueโ debuted on HBO Max in 2021.
โI love the mythological journey we went on in these three movies,โ Snyder said. โThe intensity of where we ended up with โJustice Leagueโ and how it evovled and where it came from. That whole insanity. When we were trying for the PG-13 rating on โBvS,โ the MPAA kept kicking the movie back to us saying, โItโs still an R.โ I remember someone saying we got a report from the MPA saying, โWe just donโt like the idea of Batman fighting Superman. That kind of makes it an R. He really hits him hard with that sink. Thatโs rude. That feels like an R.โ Iโm just like, โOkayโฆ letโs just pretend itโs not Batman vs. Superman for one second.’โ
โYou realize then that we were kicking the zeitgeist in the nuts and that we were going to anger people,โ Snyder continued. โNot only do they not want their heroes deconstructed, they donโt want their heroes battling each other on a road to deconstructing the why of their existence. Thatโs another sacrilege.โ
The Snyder Verse ended before Snyder got to make two more โJustice Leagueโ movies, although he admitted on the podcast that heโs โabsolutely talked aboutโ bringing those two movies to life somehow in other mediums like a comic book or animation. Snyder added: โWe live in a world where all that is possible.โ
โI would never say there is no way,โ Snyder said when asked about his fansโ continued pleas for the SnyderVerse to continue. โI was on the ride that created โJustice League,โ and if you were in my shoes there were numerous times, dark times, when there was no chance that there will ever be my version of it. It will never exist. It canโtโฆ cost, politics, everything stood against. And yet it exists. The fans should never forget they did that. They also raised a ton of money for suicide prevention. They did a lot of good. They catch a lot of flak for being toxic or whatever, but they literally saved human lives. You can go fuck yourselves if thatโs what you think.โ
The DC Universe has since been revived at Warner Bros. under the leadership of James Gunn and Peter Safran. Gunn directed a new โSupermanโ movie that was greeted with a mostly positive critical and fan reception upon release last year.
โJames is cool. I wish them all the best. It is what it is,โ Snyder said. โThat three movie trilogy is a weed that just wonโt die. It grows on its own. It has its own life. Itโs not concerned with Jamesโ Superman, which is amazing and all the best to them. I canโt wait to see the next movie. Itโs awesome. To me, itโs not the same thing. Itโs a different thing.โ
Watch Snyderโs full interview on the โHappy Sad Confusedโ podcast in the video below.
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