Zack Snyder launched the DC Extended Universe in 2013 with Man of Steel. No one knew the plan was to build a shared world at the time, of course, and it wasn't until Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice came around that we got an idea of what the filmmaker had planned.
The slate Warner Bros. announced never really materialised and the Justice League saga surely isn't one we need to recap!
Snyder did get to #ReleaseTheSnyderCut in 2021, though it's since become clear that his association with the DC brand has ended. The DCEU ended with Orm eating a cockroach in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom's post-credits scene, and it's now down to James Gunn and Peter Safran's DC Studios to reboot the DCU.
Talking to CBR about the release of Rebel Moon - Part Two: The Scargiver, Snyder offered some brief comments on those DCU plans.
"You know, I'm a pretty open book," he said. "I really feel like, you know, if the characters are treated with reverence, and mythologically correct, then I'm down. I'm in. 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."
Talking last November, Snyder shared his take on why his vision for the DCEU clashed with what Warner Bros. wanted from the brand.
"I never looked at it as the job, 'Oh, I’m the architect of DC. I need to create entertainment for DC that sells toys and that is for the masses and fun for everyone.' I didn’t care [about that]," he admitted. "I liked Batman, I liked Superman, I wanted to make something cool. You picked the wrong guy if you wanted a product."
DC Studios has made its intention to move on from the DCEU clear, recasting Henry Cavill as the Man of Steel and essentially scrapping anything that Gunn didn't previously have his hands on (explaining why, so far, only actors from Peacemaker and The Suicide Squad are returning).
For what it's worth, Gunn has shared his support for Snyder's post-DCEU career saying earlier this year, "He contacted me to express his support about my choices. He's a great guy. Again, he seems really happy with the massive world building he's doing now."
Many fans remain optimistic that Snyder could be asked back to finish his Justice League trilogy, perhaps as an animated movie or comic book. We're not banking on it, but stranger things have happened...