The DCEU is dead. As dead as Krypton. December’s Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom was officially the last DC movie to release before the revamped DCU launches in summer 2025 with Superman: Legacy, which will officially draw a line in the sand and restart a brand new continuity for all DC films and shows going forward. In other words, the days of the Snyderverse are long gone.
And yet, that’s not to say that Zack Snyder‘s influence doesn’t live on in some form. As everyone knows, the new chief of DC is James Gunn, who may have a Marvel history but is actually old pals with the former DC architect too. The pair worked together on 2008’s Dawn of the Dead remake, which Gunn scripted and Snyder directed. And it turns out the latter learned something from the former that will go on to influence his work in the DCU.
The one way Zack Snyder changed how James Gunn made movies
An old clip of Gunn praising the Justice League director has resurfaced on Reddit, which makes clear the all-important way that Snyder inspired the Guardians of the Galaxy veteran to be a better filmmaker.
“I liked Zack a lot as a guy, and he was incredibly thorough,” Gunn explains in the clip as he reflects on his experience working on Dawn of the Dead. “You know, he did all his own storyboards and stuff, which I think influenced me when I went on to my movies and did the same thing. And I saw how incredibly prepared he was. I thought he was great.”
It’s true, Gunn frequently teases fans by posting storyboards from his films during pre-production on social media. Likewise, the way he learned to be “incredibly prepared” from Snyder has clearly paid off well on Superman: Legacy, which has managed to sail through the writers and actors’ strikes without any serious delay and is now gearing up to start shooting soon ahead of its release on July 11, 2025.
Of course, although you might think hearing that Snyder is still serving as an inspiration for the DC multiverse would warm the hearts of his legion of loyal followers, Gunn regularly falls foul of Snyderverse warriors online for not involving Snyder more directly in his new universe. Of course, Snyder himself is now happily ensconced over at Netflix with his Rebel Moon franchise. The two clearly remain on good terms, too, as Snyder has admitted he phoned Gunn up after the news of his DC promotion and wished him all the best.
In other words, the lines between the DCEU and the DCU might be more blurred than you think. Just don’t go expecting a Henry Cavill vs. David Corenswet crossover movie to be added to Warner Bros. slate anytime soon.
