Zack Snyder may have moved on from the DC Universe, but he clearly hasn’t moved on from one particular Batman story. While discussing his latest film ‘The Last Photograph’, Snyder revealed that he would still love to make a standalone adaptation of Frank Miller’s ‘The Dark Knight Returns’ but only if he could make it outside the DC Universe.
Zack Snyder Already Has History With Miller’s Batman
For Snyder, this isn’t simply another superhero project. He sees Miller’s graphic novel as the perfect companion to his own ‘Watchmen’ adaptation and believes the two stories could bookend the superhero movie era. Snyder’s fascination with ‘The Dark Knight Returns’ isn’t exactly a secret.
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‘Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice’ famously borrowed several visual ideas and story elements from Miller’s comic, including an older, more brutal Batman facing Superman. However, Snyder now wants to go much further. Rather than revisit the story inside the DC Universe, he wants the freedom to create a standalone movie that exists on its own terms.
And honestly, that distinction could make all the difference. ‘The Dark Knight Returns’ isn’t just a story about Batman fighting crime. It is about an aging Bruce Wayne returning to a world that has largely moved past him. That makes it very different from another conventional superhero origin or sequel.
Why Snyder Thinks The Timing Is Right
Snyder believes The Dark Knight Returns could be particularly relevant now because superhero audiences may be more familiar with the genre than ever.
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“Let’s not forget: The Dark Knight Returns was written for a comic book audience that was very exhausted by comic books in the same way that Watchmen was, so having that movie written now for people who are exhausted by comic book movies would be a good time,” he told Variety.
That is what makes his idea fascinating. Instead of trying to make another giant interconnected superhero franchise, Snyder wants to adapt a story that questions what superheroes even mean after decades of popularity.
There is also something fitting about Snyder returning to Miller’s work. Whether ‘The Dark Knight Returns’ ever becomes a movie is still uncertain. But Snyder’s interest is clearly still there. And if he eventually gets the opportunity, he wouldn’t simply be returning to Batman. He’d be returning to the kind of comic-book story that helped define his entire filmmaking career.
