Zack Snyder recently shared a photo from the Warner Bros. lot, reigniting speculation that he may be involved in a new DC-based project.
The filmmaker, who helmed Man of Steel, Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, and Justice League back in the "DCEU" era, returning to helm a movie or series under the new DCU banner always seemed highly unlikely, and thanks to a report from Page 6, we now know exactly why he was visiting the studio.
It turns out that Snyder was invited to host a screening of director John Boorman's 1981 Arthurian epic, Excalibur.
"Snyder received a hero’s welcome at the event, spies said, as a full house of motion picture group employees and guests converged, some even standing for a Q&A between the Man of Steel director and studio bosses Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy. (No cameras were allowed, we hear, but popcorn and candy was served.)"
Even so, Snyder's return did not sit well with everyone at Warner Bros., and was said to have "raised a few eyebrows."
“'What are Mike and Pam thinking?' asked one current executive who lived through the tumultuous period when Snyder’s fans harangued and targeted the studio for enlisting Buffy the Vampire Slayer creator Joss Whedon (who also helmed Marvel’s first two Avengers movies) to oversee reshoots and post-production on the 2017 Justice League.”
Page 6 also notes that "speculation is now mounting that Snyder may be back in the fold for more than just hosting duties," and wouldn't be surprised if the director's Escape From New York remake "soon lands on Warners’ distribution calendar."
Could we see Snyder step behind the camera for another DC Comics-based film at some point?
Snyder and James Gunn have been in contact since the news that the DCEU was being rebooted as the DCU was announced, but the chances of the former returning to the fold seem pretty slim. Still, the fact that Gunn and DC Studios co-CEO Peter Safran will continue to develop Elseworlds projects means we can't completely rule anything out.
“You know, I’m a pretty open book. I really feel like, you know, if the characters are treated with reverence, and mythologically correct, then I’m down. I’m in,” Snyder said when asked about the DCU relaunch last year. “Let’s see what happens. I’m pretty excited. I mean, we’re going to get Superman pretty soon, so we’ll see what that’s like.”
When asked on Threads if he'd seen Snyder's comments about being "excited for the DCU," Gunn responded: “I didn’t, but I knew it already because he’s texted me. He’s been incredibly supportive throughout this process."