Zack Snyder says Warner Bros. is 'not interested' in his take on the DC Universe for 'Justice League' sequels
- Fans are holding out hope for WB to restore Zack Snyder's Justice League sequels.
- Snyder reiterated to Insider that WB is not interested in his take on the DC Universe.
- "I don't want to say it's sad, but it's just ... It is what it is," Snyder told Insider.
If you're holding out for Zack Snyder's "Justice League" sequels, the outlook isn't great.
Insider spoke to Snyder earlier this month about his new zombie heist film, "Army of the Dead," and the zombie-verse he's creating. It has many wondering if he's leaving the superhero genre behind.
When asked if restoring the SnyderVerse is something that would make him happy at this point, Snyder said, "The truth is that Warner Brothers, they've been pretty clear, I think with the concept, that they're not interested in Zack's take on the DC universe. That's not conjecture. They say that directly."
Snyder's four-hour cut of "Justice League," released on HBO Max in March, was willed to life by fans who rallied behind the belief that the director's original vision of the film, fondly called the "Snyder cut," was vastly different from the studio's 2017 theatrical release of the film.
When Snyder and his producing partner and wife, Deborah Snyder, stepped down from the film after the death of their daughter, "Avengers" director Joss Whedon was brought in to finish the movie. He reportedly used 10% of Snyder's footage in the 2017 cut.
Days after March's "Snyder cut" release, WarnerMedia Studios CEO Ann Sarnoff told Variety no sequels were happening. Variety added that the studio wanted to "move past the social media campaign."
Still, Snyder outlined a lot of his planned trilogy in an interview with Vanity Fair the same month.
The three-part saga would have entailed Lex Luthor's villain group, time travel, the death of Batman, and ended with a pregnant Lois, carrying Batman's baby.
"Lex tells Darkseid that the key to Superman's weaknesses is killing Lois Lane," Snyder told VF, an event which would set off the apocalyptic vision fans witnessed at the end of HBO Max's "Snyder cut."
Currently, the trilogy lives on only as a number of detailed storyboards, which sit on display in an official exhibit in Texas at AT&T's Dallas headquarters.
Insider has reviewed some of the storyboards from the exhibit.
What's fascinating is how much the sequels would have shared in common with 2019's "Avengers: Endgame." (Snyder's "Justice League" part two was originally slated for release the same year.)
"Like 'Empire Strikes Back' and the last 'Harry Potter' films, 'Justice League 2' would end with a cliffhanger: Revealing only at the end of the film Lex and his league are connected to Darkseid, then flash-forwarding five years into the future where Darkseid has taken Earth," reads one section of the many floor-length storyboards on display.
If that sounds a bit like déjà vu, you're not wrong.
The ending sounds very reminiscent of how Marvel's "Avengers: Endgame" begins. That film starts with a flash-forward five years after the film's antagonist, Thanos, snaps away half of all life in the galaxy.
The parallels don't stop there. Both Marvel and DC franchises would have dealt with time travel to undo their universe's terrible fates. The Avengers went back in time using Stark tech. WB would have been able to do it using The Flash's superpowers.
By the end of the proposed "Justice League 3," Bruce Wayne/Batman, the original leader of the Justice League, would have sacrificed himself to save the world from Darkseid. In "Avengers: Endgame," Tony Stark/Iron Man, the original leader of the Avengers, sacrifices himself to save the world from Thanos.
Snyder's "Justice League" also detailed a relationship between Bruce and Lois Lane (Clark Kent/Superman's beau) that took place during Supe's death. Lane would have been pregnant with Batman's heir, with Kent eventually accepting this.
In an interview with Good Day Chicago's Jake Hamilton, Snyder said, "Warner Bros. has been aggressively anti-Snyder" when it comes to the #RestoretheSnyderVerse campaign.
"The fan movement is so strong and the fan community is so, the intention is so pure, and I really have this huge respect for it," Snyder continued. "I would hope that cooler heads would prevail with them and they would see that there's this massive fandom that wants more of that."
Snyder, speaking with Insider, neither encouraged nor dismissed fans who eagerly continue to ask for sequels, citing what happened with his 2021 "Justice League."
"But, of course, [WB] also said that they had no interest and/or we're never going to release the 'SnyderCut" of 'Justice League,'" he said, noting how WB flip-flopped and eventually relented in releasing his vision for the 2017 release.
Snyder added that it's currently difficult for him to see how he can do anything in the DC space creatively.
"Do I love those characters and do I love that world? Yes. I don't know how to necessarily continue in that world, but, I do love those guys," Snyder said, sounding defeated.
"And by the way, those are my good friends who play those parts," he added. "So it's a little bit, I don't want to say it's sad, but it's just ... It is what it is."
For now, Snyder is keeping busy at Netflix, a place where it appears the director currently feels at home and supported.
The studio is releasing Snyder's passion project, "Army of the Dead," an idea he came up with 17 years ago after his directorial debut, 2004's "Dawn of the Dead." Originally a pitch to WB, the studio had it in development, before eventually passing on it more than once.
After a 2018 meeting with Snyder, Netflix acquired the distribution rights from Warner Bros. In addition to "Army," two prequels are already underway with the potential for sequels.
"The partnership is really one of trust," Snyder said of working with Netflix on "Army," and building out a zombie universe at the streamer. "They really were like, 'Look, Zack, we want you to do your thing.' If this is the canvas that you chose to do it on, then by all means, let's see what you're capable of in that world."
Netflix's "Army of the Dead" will debut on May 21. Before that, it will have a one-week theatrical run in roughly 600 theaters, starting May 14.