Zack Snyder eyes Dark Knight Returns despite DC reboot — SkimNews
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- Zack Snyder told Variety, in an interview promoting his forthcoming film The Last Photograph, that he wants to adapt Frank Miller's 1986 graphic novel 'The Dark Knight Returns,' arguing that book paired with 'Watchmen' represents 'the complete cycle of the superhero comic book medium.'
- DC Studios, now led by James Gunn and Peter Safran, is already running two concurrent Batman projects: Robert Pattinson's 'The Batman Part II' under Matt Reeves and 'The Brave and the Bold' with Andy Muschietti attached, making a third caped crusader a hard sell.
- Snyder's prior DC tenure already mined Miller's source material — 'Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice' recreated the graphic novel with Ben Affleck as Batman and Henry Cavill as Superman — prompting the article to question what a fresh adaptation would add.
- Warner Bros previously spent $70m on the 'Snyder Cut' of Justice League after a fan campaign, ultimately releasing two four-hour versions (one entirely in monochrome), a precedent the article flags as evidence that fan pressure has already moved mountains for Snyder once.
- Paramount Skydance's planned takeover of Warner Bros Discovery could reshuffle DC Studios leadership, with blogosphere speculation that Paramount boss David Ellison might bring Snyder back once Gunn's contract allegedly expires next year.
- Snyder directed the 2009 'Watchmen' adaptation, which he frames as the opening bookend to 'The Dark Knight Returns' in the superhero genre's arc, suggesting he sees the Miller adaptation as a capstone for the entire comic-book movie era.
Why it matters: The $70m Snyder Cut proved that sustained fan campaigns can override studio strategy, and with the Paramount Skydance takeover of Warner Bros Discovery looming and Gunn's contract reportedly expiring next year, the political conditions for a Snyder return to DC are arguably more plausible than at any point since 2021 — even if a third concurrent Batman franchise strains credulity.
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