If anyone lets him, Zack Snyder still dreams of making The Dark Knight Returns
Zack Snyder still wants to tackle a particular adaptation—and he thinks superhero-fatigued audiences might be exactly why it works right now.
At the Toronto International Film Festival, Zack Snyder connected his 2009 adaptation of Watchmen to Frank Miller’s 1986 Batman saga, saying the two stories “bookend” the modern superhero era — and that Miller’s should be told now as a self-contained movie. Speaking to Variety while promoting The Last Photograph, he said he’d only take on The Dark Knight Returns if he could do it completely outside the current DC continuity.
“If anyone would ever let me do it outside of the DC Universe… 'Watchmen' came at the beginning of the superhero movie phase, so it would be super fitting to have 'The Dark Knight Returns' come now… but we’re down the road of the superhero movie genre, and I think audiences would understand the why of it,” Snyder said.
Snyder has been circling a faithful take on The Dark Knight Returns for years, separate from the nods he baked into Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice . He’s repeatedly described wanting an older Bruce Wayne, a frame-by-frame approach, and a story that stands alone rather than feeds a larger universe.
- 2020 — Said he was “obsessed” with Miller’s comic and imagined a standalone film about an older Batman.
- 2021 — Called the project his “white whale,” adding he’d pursue a Watchmen-style, frame-accurate adaptation.
- 2023 — Reiterated he’d consider returning to DC if he could make a true, faithful version of Miller’s graphic novel.
Although Batman v Superman borrowed the armored look and grim mood that echo Miller’s book, Snyder’s goal has been a straight adaptation that isn’t tethered to other DC characters or storylines. He’s been clear the movie he wants to make would be a one-off.
Other projects on his mind
The filmmaker also rattled off a few long-running passion projects during the Variety chat — some expected, some surprising. He’s still game to jump into animation with a Rick and Morty feature, and he’s spent years trying to crack The Fountainhead, either as a film or a limited series given the novel’s sprawl.
“I do want to make a ‘Rick and Morty’ movie. It would be fun. For the longest time, I’ve been trying to make ‘The Fountainhead’ into a movie or into TV show because it’s too long. I’ve written it,” he shared.
For now, The Dark Knight Returns remains just that — an idea Snyder keeps championing, with no greenlight or date attached.