On the subject of the high level of speculation surrounding the plot of Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice, Snyder once again takes a positive approach. Perhaps inadvertently, however, he also potentially cranks the rumour mill into overdrive.
“There are so many [rumours], it’s insanity. It’s funny, because every now and then, someone will touch on something that’s kind of true, but the next thing they say makes me realise that they took a wild guess. They’ll say, ‘And this happens!’ And then I’ll go, ‘They have no idea what they’re talking about.’ It’s fun for everyone to speculate and take shots and think of things and try to sell it. There’s an industry in selling your guess. [People think], ‘I’m going to make a fake script and look like I read the real one.’ What length are you willing to go [to]? There’s a rumour that my son is [playing] Robin. It’s not true. Now there are all these images of him that people have made where he’s dressed like Robin. It’s fun to hear and see them.”
The point here is that, in his move to dismiss the vast majority of rumours as incorrect, he has also confirmed that some of the speculation hitting cyberspace is actually close to mark. For the filmmaker, he is clearly finding it reassuring that his highly protected script hasn’t been leaked, but for eager fans, this perhaps kickstarts an effort to uncover which of the vast range of rumours being pedalled are actually “kind of true.”
Finally, Snyder discussed his role overseeing the ongoing development of the DC cinematic universe as a whole.
“I’m staying with Batman V Superman and Justice League and Justice League 2 – those are my main responsibilities, as well as producing the other movies. That’s the main line. Once you get Justice League, you’re pretty deep in it… What it shows is that we have this giant berth of opportunity with the DC movies now to, I think, find the opportunities for even young filmmakers to even get involved – because there are so many projects.”
Indeed, returning to the idea of the superhero genre being a ‘flash in the pan,’ in relative terms, Snyder is right to point out the greater contribution these superhero-based movie universes can make in terms of talent development. The point of the interview was the competition that will allow a new filmmaker to collaborate with Snyder on one of the biggest films currently planned – but, as the director says, so many interesting high profile projects can provide many opportunities for new filmmaking voices to hone their skills, from Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice, and beyond. Let’s hope that Warner Bros. – which will become the first studio to produce a mainstream female led comic book movie, with Wonder Woman in 2017 – continues to prioritize diversity in increasing levels during their hiring processes, both in front of, and behind the camera.