Zack Snyder wants to make a movie based on The Dark Knight Returns with new Batman and Superman actors. While many view Snyder's director’s cut of Justice League as the end of his tenure with DC’s Extended Universe, the filmmaker still has a lot of potential ideas in mind. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice heavily drew upon Frank Miller’s comic series, but Snyder does not seem satiated and still wants to do a true adaptation.
Released in 1986, The Dark Knight Returns is a four-issue comic book series by Frank Miller that follows a 55-year old Bruce Wayne who is retired from the role of Batman and reeling from the death of his protégé, Jason Todd. Wayne eventually steps back into his iconic role as the Caped Crusader to battle Superman, which culminates in Bruce faking his own death and heading back into the shadows once again. The Dark Knight Returns also features iconic villains in the Joker and Two-Face. Miller’s 1986 series has certainly influenced Snyder's work in the DCEU, along with Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy, but the seminal work has never seen a true adaptation.
Now, Snyder is once again talking about making a Dark Knight Returns movie, this time with new Batman and Superman actors. Appearing on Josh Horowitz’s Happy Sad Confused podcast, Snyder got excited just at the mention of Miller’s comic book series, saying “That’s my white whale, Dark Knight Returns. That’s my Holy Grail. One day!” However, when asked if his dream version of the project would star Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill, Snyder responded:
No, I don’t think so. I think it would just be its own thing. Yeah, I think it would be its own thing. I would just do it one hundred percent, Watchmen style, really frame-accurate. Really do it. I don’t think it would be that expensive, to be honest. I don’t think so. It’s pretty gritty.
This is not the first time Snyder has expressed an interest in a full-fledged adaptation of The Dark Knight Returns. He said the same thing in the lead-up to the release of the Snyder Cut on HBO Max. Now that his original vision for Justice League has been released to such positive reception, perhaps Snyder is looking towards a Dark Knight Returns adaptation with renewed interest.
As things stand right now, Warner Bros. does not seem to have any interest in working with Snyder again. But if recent history is any indication, fans can have tremendous influence on creative decisions made by studios. Many doubted that a Snyder Cut of Justice League would ever happen and were proven wrong. Maybe a Zack Snyder version of The Dark Knight Returns is more likely than many may think.
Source: Happy Sad Confused