Zack Snyder marked the 10th anniversary of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice with a not-so-subtle defense of the film and some revealing stories about how controversial it was, before it even reached cinemas.
Appearing on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Snyder returned to the flagpole for the 2016 comic, which opened to largely negative reviews on March 25 of that year, but still grossed $874 million worldwide.
A decade later, the director does not seem to want to question his choices.
“My 100% honest reaction to BvS and how it’s received in the world… Do you really want a movie that has had all the edges shaved off by focus groups?’” he said.
“Do you really want a movie where decisions were made in a boardroom, or where tested ideas were presented for your viewing pleasure? Do you really want the Kmart version of your story? Is that what you really want?”
Reflecting on the broader reaction to the film and its approach to DC characters, Snyder was philosophical.
“Then you realize we were shaking up the zeitgeist and we were going to make people angry,” he said.
“Not only do they not want their heroes deconstructed, they don’t want their heroes fighting against each other to deconstruct the reason for their existence. That’s another sacrilege.”
Batman v Superman was the second film in what became known online as the SnyderVerse, after Man of Steel and leading to Justice League, a production that took on a life of its own after Snyder left due to a family tragedy and Joss Whedon was hired to finish it.
The subsequent fan campaign to release Snyder’s original cut became one of the most vocal movements in modern cinema history, ultimately culminating in Zack Snyder’s release. Justice League debuts on HBO Max in 2021.
Snyder spoke warmly of these fans, fending off criticism of their reputation.
“Fans should never forget that they did this. They also raised a lot of money for suicide prevention. They did a lot of good. They were criticized for being toxic or whatever, but they literally saved human lives. You can go fuck yourself if that’s what you think.”
The SnyderVerse ultimately ended before it could complete its planned trilogy of Justice League films, although it has not completely closed the door to revisiting these stories in other formats.
“We live in a world where anything is possible,” he said, confirming that he had “absolutely talked” about bringing these unmade films to life through animation or comics.
