Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice was one of the most anticipated superhero movies ever before its release in March 2016. Unfortunately, it opened to largely negative reviews and, after a massive opening weekend, suffered a catastrophic 69% drop during week two.
The movie eventually grossed $874.3 million worldwide, but was considered a box office disappointment by Warner Bros. With that, the studio went into panic mode and made sweeping changes to Suicide Squad and Justice League, none of which really worked out for them.
For fans, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice suffered from many issues. Those ranged from the confusing "Knightmare" sequence to the rushed introduction of characters like Aquaman and The Flash. However, one of the biggest sticking points was the Dark Knight's fight with the Man of Steel ending when Bruce Wayne learned that Superman's mother was also called Martha.
In a lengthy interview with Josh Horowitz, filmmaker Zack Snyder was asked for his thoughts on the backlash the movie received.
Pointing out that it would be considered a $1 billion movie adjusted for inflation, Snyder explained why he believes his R-rated Director's Cut of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is ultimately the superior version.
"I think the director's cut of [Batman v Superman] is really the movie that I was trying to make. It's a better movie than the movie that was theatrically released. That's my feeling," he shared. "I still love the theatrical release, and I'm not mad at it. I just think that the real intent that Chris Terrio and I had was in the director's cut."
"My 100% honest reaction to [Batman v Superman] and how it's received in the world is that, do you really want a movie that's had all the edges shaved off it by the focus groups. Do you really want a movie [where] decisions have been made in the boardroom or tested ideas are being rendered for your enjoyment? Do you really want the Kmart version of your story? Is that what you really want?"
"I would argue that's fine to make fun of Martha," Snyder added, addressing the mockery that surrounds the scene. "It is true in canon that Batman and Superman's mothers are both named Martha. That is a fact of the comic book world. Whether or not that is a thing, you feel like Batman with the hovering spear of destiny over Superman's heart."
"Those words, seeing what he believes is a creature that he's demonised in his mind," he continued, before detailing the pushback he had from the MPA on the movie's intended PG-13 rating (long story short, they really didn't like the idea of Batman and Superman fighting on screen).
Snyder noted, "100% there is no chance that anyone would give a f*** about Batman v Superman if we had done the straight down the road, you know, avery commercial version. A colourful, bright and shiny movie. It wouldn't be 'B v S'. It would have been 'B and S.'"
While he intended to continue the story across multiple Justice League movies, Snyder also had plans for a Man of Steel sequel, which he's now confirmed was set to revolve around Brainiac
Back to Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and the filmmaker confirmed there were never plans to pit Henry Cavill's Man of Tomorrow against Christian Bale or Joseph Gordon Levitt's respective versions of Batman after The Dark Knight Rises.
"Joseph is an amazing actor. I don't think it was for me to flesh that out. I think if Bale had stayed, if it had ended with Christian Bale standing on a building overlooking Gotham silhouetted by the lights of Gotham, then there's a that that's a serious conversation there if he's not in Italy, retired, drinking wine and relaxing. If he's a current crime fighter, then I think those universes could have mixed."
"We never really talked about," Snyder concluded, referring to Christopher Nolan, The Dark Knight Trilogy helmer, who was an executive producer on Man of Steel and Batman v Superman.
You can hear much more from Snyder in the player below.