Dark Knight director Christopher Nolan has a credit on Zack Snyder's Justice League, and while that might seem odd, there's a simple reason. The release of the fan-dubbed Snyder Cut draws ever closer, with the new version of Justice League set to hit HBO Max on March 18, 2021. When fans finally get to watch it, it'll be the culmination of a literally years-long journey, in which, after the 2017 Joss Whedon cut was roundly panned, fans of Snyder's DCEU vision flooded Warner Bros. with demands to see Snyder's original take.
While Zack Snyder's Justice League actually won't be the exact film he originally planned on making - such as with the new inclusion of Jared Leto's Joker into the mix - it's possible what fans ultimately get will be even better than it might've been five years ago. What Zack Snyder's Justice League probably won't be is universally beloved, as despite the passion of his supporters, Man of Steel and Batman V Superman were hardly received without backlash.
Some fans would argue that no one has managed to do DC movies better than Christopher Nolan, helmer of the three entries in the storied Dark Knight trilogy, while others would say that Snyder topped him. Either way, many will likely be surprised to see Nolan's name in the Snyder Cut's credits. However, the two men didn't collaborate on the making of the new film.
Justice League: Christopher Nolan's Snyder Cut Credit Explained
Christopher Nolan is credited as an executive producer on Zack Snyder's Justice League, aka the Snyder Cut. In the odd way that Hollywood credits work though, that doesn't actually mean he actively participated in the production. Nolan being credited as an executive producer goes back to his more direct involvement with Snyder's debut DC film, Man of Steel. Nolan has a story credit on that Superman movie, and was one of its lead producers, back when he was serving as sort of an additional guiding hand for the early DCEU after the success of the Dark Knight trilogy.
Nolan's involvement only decreased from there, although he did discuss with Snyder the merits of different story ideas and plot turns for Batman V Superman, on which he's also credited as an executive producer, due to his work crafting the prior film. That's just how it works in Hollywood sometimes, as Nolan was also credited as an executive producer on the Joss Whedon cut of Justice League, which he had absolutely no involvement with. The same is true for Zack Snyder's Justice League, as his credit here still traces back to his creative input on Man of Steel, which Batman V Superman and Justice League of course serve as follow-ups to. So any fans wondering if Snyder might've had another cook in the kitchen when making the Snyder Cut can rest easy knowing the final product is his vision alone.
What's kind of amusing though is that Nolan has been the most vocal voice against Warner Bros.' pandemic release strategy of putting all its blockbusters on HBO Max in 2021, and is also a strong proponent of the theatrical experience being better than streaming movies at home. Yet, due to this customary credit, he's listed as being part of what might be HBO Max's biggest tentpole release of the year.