The DCEU, aka the Snyderverse, has been over for a couple of years now. Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom was the end of that experiment at Warner Bros. It all started with Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel but now, DC is in the hands of James Gunn and Peter Safran at DC Studios. However, there is still some hope, it seems, for one of Snyder’s dream projects. That being the oft-discussed live-action adaptation of The Dark Knight Rises.
Will his Batman movie ever actually happen? Maybe, maybe not. But the project recently got an unexpected update. Snyder recently did a panel with The Dark Knight Returns author Frank Miller. As reported by Cosmic Book News, Snyder addressed the status of the movie, with a bit of a quip at first. Here’s what he had to say.
“Well, the good news is he’s already finished the comic book. That’s done. So the good news is, the hard work is over…The heavy lifting, if you will.”
“I think the answer is when they let us,” Snyder added. That statement heavily implied that if Warner Bros. and DC gives him the go ahead, it’s go time. Presumably with Ben Affleck returning as an older, grizzled Batman. Affleck hung up the cape and cowl after The Flash, but Snyder could seemingly lure him out of retirement for one last ride.
The bigger thing came later in the report, which claims that Snyder’s movie is fully storyboarded. It is already “all boarded out,” with storyboards done by Jay Oliva, Snyder and a few others. The report also claims that Snyder would stick very close to the comic, much like his adaptation of Watchmen. But again, for the time being, this is just a dream. DC Studios and Warner Bros. have their own plans at the moment.
The Batman Part II is currently in production. Meanwhile, The Brave and the Bold is still in development as part of the new DCU. That movie will bring in a new actor to play Batman. The odds of WB circling back to Snyder and Affleck seem very unlikely right now, as that would make for three live-action Batmans at once.
Here is the synopsis for The Dark Knight Returns graphic novel.
“It is ten years after an aging Batman has retired and Gotham City has sunk deeper into decadence and lawlessness. Now as his city needs him most, the Dark Knight returns in a blaze of glory. Joined by Carrie Kelly, a teenage female Robin, Batman takes to the streets to end the threat of the mutant gangs that have overrun the city. And after facing off against his two greatest enemies, the Joker and Two-Face for the final time, Batman finds himself in mortal combat with his former ally, Superman, in a battle that only one of them will survive.”
The Dark Knight Returns was previously adapted into an animated movie. It’s still widely regarded as perhaps the greatest Batman story ever told, in any medium. There’s a reason why Snyder is so obsessed with tackling the tale. For now, it still seems unlikely, but stranger things have happened.
What do you think? Would you like to see Snyder reunite with Affleck? Or do you think it’s time to move on? Join in on the conversation over on Facebook or Instagram!
