It's been nearly two years since the Snyderverse ended, but some still hold out hope for it to return in some shape or form. Part of their enthusiasm stems from Zack Snyder's social media habits. The Man of Steel director has consistently shared images from his past at DC on social media. The posts appear to be just fun throwbacks at his earlier career, but some have taken them as potential signs that the director is gearing up to revive his DC mythology.
So far, those hopes have appeared to be wild speculation. However, in a surprising development, a close collaborator of Snyder appears to have teased that the director may not be done with DC. Larry Fong is a renowned cinematographer who has worked closely with Zack Snyder for many years. He served as the cinematographer for 300, Watchmen and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. His resume outside the superhero genre is just as impressive, having worked on The Predator, Kong: Skull Island, The Tomorrow War and Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers.
Fong posted a frame from Batman v Superman on X. A fan expressed their enthusiasm over the picture, and added a #RestoreTheSnyderverse hashtag to their response. Fong replied: "Zack [Snyder is] posting some past memories on Instagram, so I thought I would too. They were good times. Don't try to read too much into it."
Another fan then responded to him, stating they were hoping Snyder was teasing something. Interestingly, despite his previous answer, Fong replied: "Never say never..."
It's curious he would reply something like that knowing how fervent Snyder's fan base is, and how loud they have been about Snyder continuing on at DC. With that, it's technically possible there could be something in the works at DC Studios regarding Snyder.
Having said that, let's be objective: Fong was likely just being playful with fans. The chances of Snyder returning to DC are slim. The DCEU was a disappointment, both critically and financially. It didn't capture an audience in the way Warner Bros. had hoped it would. Thus, it seems unrealistic that the studio would return to that well, when it had to be closed for so many flops.
As a veteran in Hollywood, Fong is likely well aware of such factors, and thus, of the little chances there are for Snyder to return. Given that, the likeliest possibility is that his "Never say never" was simply a general term, expressing how anything can happen in the industry. As for how Zack Snyder feels about going back to DC, it's a fairly straightforward answer.
To reach that answer, though, let's flash back to February 2023. On X, when responding to a person asking for the DCEU to be sold to Netflix, DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn said Snyder wasn't interested in jumping back into the DC Universe: "I have to say, this has got to be the wackiest hashtag ever since, 1) Netflix hasn't expressed any such interest (although we've discussed other stuff), & 2) Zack hasn't expressed any interest & seems to be happy doing what he's doing (and, yes, we too have talked)."
In April 2023, however, at his "Full Circle" event (which was attended by Ben Affleck and Ray Fisher, among others), Snyder said he would be interested in continuing his DC mythology if possible:
"Look, I love the world, and obviously, I've not put a small amount of effort into this mythology. And we have done not also small amount of work toward what the eventualities of these scenarios might be. [...] Would I be interested in whatever medium or whatever way these ideas would continue? Of course I would. But yeah, in the meantime, we forge ahead and we do what we do."
Now, it's important to note Gunn was not lying about Snyder's comments. In September 2023, after a user on Threads kept asking the Superman director about the apparent discrepancy in what he stated regarding Snyder, and what the Batman v Superman helmer said himself. Gunn responded: "I would think it was obvious that I meant Zack hadn't expressed any interest to ME in our discussions, so you can quit spamming this on every single post!"
Adding to what Gunn said, even during his "Full Circle" event, Snyder seemed to have been talking about returning to DC as something he would do only if the opportunity presented itself, as opposed to something he was actively seeking. Thus, it seems there is interest from Snyder to return, which, yes, makes Fong's recent comments somewhat intriguing. However, all of the other evidence available on the matter points to the director's journey in the DC Universe having closed—at least for the time being.
Man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Zack Snyder's Justice League are all streaming on HBO Max.
Do you think Fong was teasing Zack Snyder's DC return, or was he simply leaving the door open for the future? Drop your thoughts in the comments!