Even though he’s handling what many consider to be the most complex and intricate film of 2016, Zack Snyder has revealed his apprehension about a Batman solo movie, and how the rejuvenated DC-verse owes a significant debt to Christopher Nolan and his esteemed trilogy.
Speaking to Empire magazine after the outlet blew the lid off the director’s upcoming cinematic showdown, Snyder admitted that he doesn’t envy the director – said to be Ben Affleck himself – who takes on the mantle of The Caped Crusader’s standalone feature, as the prospect of bringing Bruce Wayne’s famed vigilante to the screen is a more difficult undertaking following The Dark Knight Trilogy.
Ever since the release of Batman Begins in 2005, long-time fans of The World’s Greatest Detective have held up Nolan’s interpretation as one of – if not the – best renditions of Batman in history, meaning that whoever follows in his footsteps will have to shoulder a hefty amount of expectations.
“If it was a Batman movie it would be a much more difficult proposition because of how good Chris’ movies are. We live in gratitude to those movies. Chris set a tone for the DC Universe, and separated us from Marvel in a great way. We are the legacy of those movies. Right from the beginning it is different tonally from where those movies are. You know, DC is an ancient world in a lot of ways.”
It’s an argument that has echoed around the movie and indeed comic book community for decades, but according to producer Deborah Snyder, it is ultimately the tone that will separate the two universes on screen. Gunning for a mythic set-up, Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice is shaping up to be an incredibly grounded feature despite its core supernatural tenets, posing some hard-pressing questions such as how would humanity really react if a wayward, unfathomably powerful alien landed on our shores.
“I can see how people would want to make it this big, intense rivalry. Listen, they are so great. I loved Guardians of the Galaxy…our films are a bit more serious. They deal with things that are a little darker. Things that place them in our world.”
At the time of writing, DC and Warner have slated The Batman, a solo film orbiting around The World’s Greatest Detective, for a release in 2019. It’ll reportedly star and be directed by the current owner of the cape and cowl, Ben Affleck.
