Though most (well, let's say a lot of) the #RestoreTheSnyderVerse crowd seem to have accepted that Warner Bros./DC Studios deciding to revisit the previous DC Comics-based era headed up by Zack Snyder is highly unlikely, the filmmaker continues to keep speculation alive via his Instagram account.
This time, though, Snyder hasn't shared a throwback shot from his time working in the DCEU, but a photo confirming that he has returned to the Warner Bros. lot for a meeting.
"Hanging out with a bunch of amazing people today down at the WB," Snyder captioned his post.
While there are obviously any number of non-DC-related projects Snyder could have been discussing with WB, the fact that he appears to have mended fences with the studio is intriquing enough on its own.
Though Snyder has always been fairly gracious and diplomatic when discussing the fallout from his stepping away as director of Justice League following the tragic death of his daughter, Autumn, it seems clear that his relationship with the studio had been strained to at least some degree.
"Warner Bros. has been aggressively anti-Snyder if you will," the director said in a 2021 interview when asked about the possibility of working on another DC project. "What can I say? Clearly, they're not interested in my take. But I would also say that they certainly weren't interested in - I would have said originally - in my take on Justice League. They certainly made decisions about that."
"I love the characters, and I love the worlds, and I think it's an amazing place to make a movie. It's glorious IP. So there's that. I don't know what could be done as you go forward other than I think the fan movement is so strong, and the fan community, [their] intention is so pure, and I really have this huge respect for it. I would hope that cooler heads would prevail with [the studio] and they would see that there's this massive fandom that wants more of that."
Could we see Snyder step behind the camera for another DC Comics-based film at some point?
Snyder and James Gunn have been in contact since the news that the DCEU was being rebooted as the DCU was announced, but the chances of the former returning to the fold seem pretty slim. Still, the fact that Gunn and DC Studios co-CEO Peter Safran will continue to develop Elseworlds projects means we can't completely rule anything out.
“You know, I’m a pretty open book. I really feel like, you know, if the characters are treated with reverence, and mythologically correct, then I’m down. I’m in,” Snyder said when asked about the DCU relaunch last year. “Let’s see what happens. I’m pretty excited. I mean, we’re going to get Superman pretty soon, so we’ll see what that’s like.”
When asked on Threads if he'd seen Snyder's comments about being "excited for the DCU," Gunn responded: “I didn’t, but I knew it already because he’s texted me. He’s been incredibly supportive throughout this process."