Zack Snyder Must Helm Dark Knight Returns After Nolan Departs

Zack Snyder Must Helm Dark Knight Returns After Nolan Departs

An argument for Zack Snyder to tale over the Batman franchise after Chris Nolan completes his trilogy...

Editorial Opinion
By Vedder - Mar 20, 2009 07:03 PM EST
Filed Under: Batman

Like many of you, I am a Batman fanatic. I was depressed for many years after the Joel Schumacher debacles. I grew wary when Darren Aronofky was set to reboot the franchise with Alfred as Bruce Wayne's trusted mechanic by the name of Big Al. So upon reading that Warner Bros. has bribed Chris Nolan into doing a third Batman movie, it dawned on me this will be it for him, and I am okay with that. Though I loved the first two features and am certain the third will be genius, I have come to the realization his trilogy should not end and risk some hack like Schummacher or Aronofsky at the helm. Thus, I have decided to put forward my argument for Zack Snyder, and look forward to your take.

I have only seen two Zack Snyder films, 300 and Watchmen. Both were adaptations of great works, and were in my opinion transferred to screen beautifully. Zack says he wants to do Dark Knight, and as a fan of the Nolan movies I think he could transition Miller's works smoothly into Nolan's without a reboot. Snyder respects the fans love of great volumes of work, yet, manages to bring out the whole story with only limited cuts to the originals. I think for anyone to try and do Dark Knight Returns, that mandate can only be met by him, I ask you to name another director who has done any comicbook to film transition so well. Although, I think he needs to lay off the soft porn scenes he has a constant hard on for. Save the R-rating bro.

I perceive Nolan will try to complete his trilogy by ending with some great crisis that leaves Batman broken, tired, and resigned to continue. I feel he will give Snyder no cliffhanger to resolve, but leave him with a character who could have vanished and given up his holy war for 10 years. Moreover, I believe Nolan will not re-introduce the Joker or Dent. I think he will try to re-establish Catwoman and Riddler, thus leaving the opportunity for Snyder to bring back Harvey Dent for Book 1, as a man thought to be dead, but locked away in the Arkham for a decade. Book 2 with the Mutants, self explanatory and easy to blend in. Book 3 and the return of the Joker gives Warner the chance to bring back this character tastefully. He can be older, and totally messed up to see Batman back. My choice is Daniel Day Lewis to step in where Heath left off, he is the only one who can do it (do not kill him). Book 4 would be the long awaited Supes/Bats battle, and Miller's work will be brought to fruition like we all want. Robin as a girl is a must for the sheer controversy and faithfulness to the story. If I am right, and Snyder succeeds we may even get DK2, but I could live with only one.

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marshmallowyme
marshmallowyme - 3/20/2009, 8:04 PM
Never gonna happen. Snyder could do a good DKR, but anything else he did that was Batman related would be awful. Frank Miller's Batman is the only Batman over-the-top enough for Snyder to be suited for, anything else would just be terrible.

Even still, it's never gonna happen.
TheSoulEater
TheSoulEater - 3/21/2009, 2:45 AM
You said it best.

Leave this Nolan serise to Nolan.
MarkCassidy
MarkCassidy - 3/21/2009, 6:10 AM
I would love to see it. But i dont think it will happen..he has said he would love to do it, but Watchmen didnt make quite enough cash for him to make this one i dont think. But your right about him being the only director to be true to the comic...i reckon in the hands of Nolan or anyone else there would be no Supes, Robin, Two Face, Joker or Mutants. It would be Batman coming out of retirement to fight Mr Freeze or something!
StShadow
StShadow - 3/21/2009, 11:10 AM
I hope Synder does get the opportunity to do something like this because he could make it pretty dark and pretty true to the comic.
Mark Hamill, I think, would be the perfect choice to play the older Joker. I'm pretty positive that he could create a dark, sadistic, and psychotic Joker. he already has the voice down pat and with everything they could do with make up and effects these days i think they could make him look pretty twisted.
TheSoulEater
TheSoulEater - 3/21/2009, 6:24 PM
I hope he DOES get to do a Batman Superman team up movie, Alex Ross style and everything! That would be BOMB!
TheSoulEater
TheSoulEater - 3/24/2009, 12:08 AM
Snyder would ROCK under the hood
Hobgoblyn
Hobgoblyn - 3/24/2009, 5:00 AM
So we want a Batman movie where we have a sex scene with Batman and Catwoman and a slow-motion sequence where Riddler shoots Batman off a roof for failing to answer the impossible riddle and then have the scene speed up suddenly to reveal he gets caught and dragged down with Batman?

As much as I love the idea of having both Riddler and Catwoman in the same movie, I just don't see how it could be done and follow up on the grimdark of the last movie.
Catwoman at her best is a daredevil risk-junkie who doesn't care if she committs crimes or beats up criminals, as long as it serves her ends and she gets some kicks out of it. Plus you'd work in a romance angle with Batman where he ends up pushing her away because of an inability to trust-- a trait that is not present in Batman Begins or the Dark Knight-- in fact, the story specifically avoided this by having Bruce NOT find out that Rachel was leaving him.

Riddler at his best is a mad genius mastermind and private detective whose greatest strength, besides his intellect, is his being underestimated. As good as he is one can assume he'll lose out to the Bats in the end or walk away with the secret of Batman's identity and keep it to himself.

The crimes that both characters committ in the comics is limited to burglarly-- how does that mash up with the riot-causing and serial-killing in the previous movies? More over, both of them are as likely to be allies or rivals with Batman as direct enemies.
So without ruining either character, it would be difficult to see how one would work them into the story together.

Unless you had a third character, someone like Penguin or Black Mask who could have nameless minions, be aimed to conqueer Gotham City and be a real threat Batman has to undo. With such a foundation you could work with Catwoman playing mercenary for this greater villain and deciding to change for romance and have Riddler investigating and aiming to capture Batman for the fame and glory it would bring him.

But at that point you'd be looking at three very different stories tied together into the plot. Batman trying to save the city from domination as Penguin/Black Mask tries to take advantage of the chaos caused by the Joker, Catwoman choosing between riches and love only to be scorned, Riddler trying to unmask Batman and descending into madness in the process. Do you suppose the core target audience could handle all that?

But having Batman just trying to solve riddles to figure out what store or bank Riddler (and Catwoman?) are going to rob next... wouldn't make for an interesting film.
stupify_me
stupify_me - 3/25/2009, 4:17 PM
Doesn't sound like a good idea to me. Snyder seems to think that what makes a movie good is gore gore and more gore. I would hate to see what he would do to the Batman franchise. I don't think it even comes close to fitting in his style. He could do a decent job of interpreting DKR to screen , but that doesn't belong on screen yet and I bet he would ad more Gore than that needs as well.
tigermann
tigermann - 3/26/2009, 9:31 PM
I would like to see Nolan end where Bane breaks Batman's back. Thus having Batman disappear for a few years and that's when Snyder takes over the helm having Batman healed ready to come back.
stupify_me
stupify_me - 3/27/2009, 6:31 AM
That's when Snyder takes over to have Batman move in slow motion squirt blood all over the place in slow motion and bright red. Maybe he could bring in some Villians just to blow up and show their guts fly all over the place. That's really all Snyder can do for the most part.

Don't get me wrong I thought watchmen was really good, but not great. I thought it was good because it had some good acting and a well developed script especially since for the most part it was what Moor wrote. However I thought Zack did a piss poor job directing it. It worked with 300, but the guy does the same thing for every film.
TDKR11
TDKR11 - 3/27/2009, 2:55 PM
When Nolan does his 3rd Batman movie he will make sure to make it his last Batman story to be told, and not let another directer, or WB creative team continue where he left off and screwed it up. Once his Batman trilogy story completed I expect WB to do anoter Batman story but not related to Chris Nolans Batman story.

1.It could be another reboot which I wouldn't mind watching, Because I would liked to see another creative team perspectivie on Batman in their own story.

2. Waner bros. could just tell another Batman story with out an origin story, and no relation to Nolan's Batman.

3. WB has many directions to go with, and I'm sure their planing on what to do with Batman next, after Nolan's done telling his Batman story.
Vedder
Vedder - 3/29/2009, 2:41 PM
"At the Entertainment Weekly Visionaries panel, Frank Miller told Snyder “You can do it anytime you want to Zack”. To which Snyder said he was making a note of Miller’s response. Now I know this is very speculative, but even Batman producer Michael Uslan has already expressed interest in a possible adaptation."

You can do Dark Knight without messing up Nolan's trilogy. Its done 10 years out, that's the beauty of this idea. He has been gone, old, and jaded. The city's fall into depths drive him back. Nolan can end it anyway he wants without impact (assuming he doesn't kill him of course).
Aiiwolf
Aiiwolf - 3/31/2009, 7:26 AM
Yeah...BUT having a solid TRILOGY, is much more satisfying then sequels that done compare to Nolan's work. I have the DKR comics....and The Dark knight Strikes again....and All star batman and the boy wonder [miller's batman is a psycho]

...meaning it would NOT go along with nolans work period...."THE GOD_DAMN BATMAN" he refers to himself as....meaning him saying that and over and over would have to make that Rated R movie period.

ITsss itsss.....BATMAN: "ITS THE GODDAMN BATMAN!"

I just want Nolan to finish this so they can come out with an ultimate Nolan blu ray edition trilogy set....im good. [frick] eveything else lol
moonman
moonman - 4/3/2009, 5:49 PM
I hope to god they don't let that happen.Snyder cuold never do as fantastic of a job as Nolan.Snyder is a poor choice to use in a new series.I probably would not go.
DonkeyPuncher
DonkeyPuncher - 4/6/2009, 3:49 PM
i would like to see Snyder do it movie but of course after Nolan is done with his batman movies
akthunder
akthunder - 4/12/2009, 7:49 PM
I think Nolan ending his series with Bane breaking Batmans back would be the best ending. His trilogy shouldn't end with a happy ending.
AntiMan
AntiMan - 4/18/2009, 12:06 AM
zac snyder is extremely overrated and hasn't come close to the level of filmmaking that Nolan has. Snyder need to do a few more films of substance before he should touch Dark Knight.
kyle
kyle - 6/16/2009, 8:16 PM
the dark knight had a great cliff hanger, which leads frank miller's graphic novel, the dark knight returns, to be made. i loved the movie and novel of watchmen! it is time for a rated r batman film, but not too comic-like.

best of luck, snyder.
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