Posted in: Movies, Netflix | Tagged: dark knight returns, elektra lives again, Rebel Moon, zack snyder

Zack Snyder Has A CBM Directing Wishlist But Is Focused On Original IP

Director Zack Snyder appears happy to be working on original IPs but has a CBM wishlist that includes Dark Knight Returns and Elektra Lives Again.

Published Wed, 29 Nov 2023 11:57:08 -0600

by Kaitlyn Booth

Comments

Article Summary

Zack Snyder teases CBM wishlist but cherishes creative freedom with Netflix's Rebel Moon.
Has ideas for Dark Knight Returns and Elektra Lives Again but isn't planning a return to franchises.
Emphasizes the constraining nature of the studio system compared to Netflix's liberties.
Suggests a potential fit for Snyder in DC's Elseworlds, yet fans may prefer his unique IP work.

Everyone has a wishlist for something, whether it is things they'd like to buy, places they would like to see, or things they would like to do. People working in Hollywood are no different. Actors have wishlist roles, writers have wishlist stories, and directors have wishlist directing pursuits. Some wishlists are far more scrutinized than the wishlists of others in the same way that some actors say they would someday like a job again [also known as returning for a role] than others. Zack Snyder is someone whose interests and prospects have become the subject of a near cult-like following of fans who want to know everything Snyder is doing. Right now, Snyder is focusing on original projects like his growing universe around Rebel Moon, the first film that will drop next month.

However, Snyder did play a massive part in 2010s superhero movies, and outlets can't help themselves if they want to ask Snyder if he would come back to the franchise studio system even though the deal he has with Netflix appears to be making him quite happy. So even though Snyder specifics tells The Hollywood Reporter that the previous chapter of his life with DC and whatnot is closed, he gave a wishlist of what comic book movie (CBM) he would like to work on, should someone really try to convince him that it was a good idea.

"If his buddy Gunn called and invited him back to DC, he might consider doing a Dark Knight Returns adaptation (but only "a true representation of the graphic novel"). If Marvel rang, he might think for a beat about a Daredevil and Elektra movie — maybe adapting Frank Miller's Elektra Lives Again ("But that's it," he insists)."

The kind of creative freedom that Netflix appears to have given Snyder concerning Rebel Moon and Army of the Dead is what most people dream of. It's also the kind of freedom you don't get working within the studio system and within franchises like Marvel, DC, or Star Wars, which Snyder was also asked about ("Nah, I don't think so," he says. "Those guys have a handle on the brand.") This is not to say that Snyder couldn't have a place at DC or Marvel, I still think he could make a banger one-off Elseworlds film if he wanted to. However, trying to pull him into a studio system that is more creatively restricting rather than letting Snyder flourish with his own IP seems the opposite of what a fan would actually want for their idol.

Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire: Summary, Cast List, Release Date

A new universe awaits on Netflix starting December 22. From Zack Snyder, the filmmaker behind 300, Man of Steel, and Army of the Dead, comes Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire, a 2-part movie event decades in the making. After crash landing on a moon in the furthest reaches of the universe, Kora (Sofia Boutella), a stranger with a mysterious past, begins a new life among a peaceful settlement of farmers. But she soon becomes their only hope for survival when the tyrannical Regent Balisarius (Fra Fee) and his cruel emissary, Admiral Noble (Ed Skrein), discover the farmers have unwittingly sold their crops to the Bloodaxes (Cleopatra Coleman and Ray Fisher) — leaders of a fierce group of insurgents hunted by the Motherworld.

Tasked with finding fighters who would risk their lives to defend the people of Veldt, Kora, and Gunnar (Michiel Huisman), a tenderhearted farmer naive in the realities of war, journey to different worlds in search of the Bloodaxes, and assemble a small band of warriors who share a common need for redemption along the way: Kai (Charlie Hunnam), a pilot and gun for hire; General Titus (Djimon Hounsou), a legendary commander; Nemesis (Doona Bae), a master swordswoman; Tarak (Staz Nair), a captive with a regal past; and Milius (E. Duffy), a resistance fighter. Back on Veldt, Jimmy (voiced by Anthony Hopkins), an ancient mechanized protector hiding in the wings, awakens with a new purpose. But the newly formed revolutionaries must learn to trust each other and fight as one before the armies of the Motherworld come to destroy them all.

Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!