After directing Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, you’d just assume that Zack Snyder has fully scratched the itch to make a live-action adaptation of The Dark Knight Returns. Guess again!
Despite lifting huge chunks of the classic Frank Miller graphic novel for Batman V Superman, Snyder recently told fans during a live-stream that he still wants to turn The Dark Knight Returns into a film, only this time, with no connection to the DC Extended Universe. In Snyder’s defense, this approach has worked with Joker, and The Batman starring Robert Pattinson will also exist outside of DCEU continuity.
While revealing his dreams for the stand-alone film, Snyder also had a good sense of humor (during a livestream) about fans calling him out for his obsession with the iconic Batman story, which he has no plans of letting go. Via Comic Book:
“I saw a tweet recently like ‘Snyder needs to stop reading Dark Knight Returns, he needs to read another Batman comic,’” Snyder said. “I almost tweeted back, I’m sure Jay [Oliva] replied like ‘there aren’t any others!’ I’m so obsessed with that comic. I’ve always thought that maybe one day down the road as a one-off, just as a crusty old Batman, we’d just do it. It’s a dream I have.”
Released during the ’80s, The Dark Knight Returns focuses on an older, battle-hardened Bruce Wayne who resumes a much more brutal war on crime after years of retirement. The classic graphic novel ends with an epic fight between Batman and Superman, who has been ordered by the government to shut the Dark Knight down. Snyder already took a stab at this showdown in Batman V Superman, which featured Ben Affleck wearing an armored suit pulled directly from the Miller comic. Unfortunately, the film arrived to mixed reactions, so it’ll be interesting to see if Warner Bros. lets Snyder take a more faithful stab at the source material. The studio is already ponying up a considerable amount of cash for his director’s cut of Justice League, and if that performs well on HBO Max, who knows what doors that might open down the road.
(Via Comic Book)