Man of Steel director Zack Snyder is currently doing the rounds to promote The Last Photograph, a movie that, according to The Hollywood Reporter, features no green-screens or slow-motion sequences (a staple of the filmmaker's previous features).
Talking to the trade, Snyder reflected on a recent visit to Warner Bros. to screen one of his favourite movies, John Boorman's Excalibur. He took part in a Q&A following the screening and was asked one question that, given where he was, hit particularly close to home.
"There were some hard-hitting questions, too, like 'What adversity have you faced in your career?'" he said, admitting it was strange for someone to wonder that, given that it was in Burbank that Warner Bros. took the DCEU from him. "I was like, 'That’s a strange question to ask me in this room, but it’s cool.'"
It seems his DC exit still stings, as Snyder has yet to watch James Gunn's Superman, which was released last July. "I just haven’t gotten around to it yet," he said with a laugh, adding that he supports Gunn and wishes the DCU well.
However, for anyone hoping that he could jump ship to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it sounds like that's not a world the filmmaker has any interest in telling stories in.
"[Marvel is] like an amusement park ride, right? The ups, the drops, the kind of cruising part, and then another drop. At the end, you’re like, 'Wow, that was crazy, that was awesome.' I had no interest in that," Snyder explained. "And you know, maybe that was a mistake. But I don’t think that way. I can’t do that. I’d rather just kind of talk about the mythology of them. And maybe that’s not as fun."
This may initially seem like a diss, but even Snyder acknowledges that perhaps his approach was wrong. After all, the DC movies that have found the greatest success are those that have embraced the MCU's approach, whether it's the $1 billion success of Aquaman or the well-reviewed Shazam! movie.
Snyder is reportedly attached to executive produce a small-screen 300 prequel, marking his first return to the world of comic books since 2021's Justice League Snyder Cut.
Warner Bros. Television has partnered with Netflix on the show, with Snyder now on board to direct the pilot. The untitled 300 prequel has not been ordered to series yet, but a writers' room has been gathered, so it's beginning to take shape.
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