Zack Snyder's vision for the DC Universe came to a close with 2021's "Snyder Cut" of Justice League. However, fans have not been pleased about the director stepping away before completing the arc he had envisioned for DC's live-action franchise. This has resulted in the hashtag #RestoreTheSnyderVerse trending on Twitter more than once. Now, the movement has emerged again, apparently due to Discovery's acquisition of WarnerMedia.
It was announced on April 8 that Discovery had officially closed its $43-billion purchase of WarnerMedia, with Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav stating:
"Today's announcement marks an exciting milestone not just for Warner Bros. Discovery but for our shareholders, our distributors, our advertisers, our creative partners and, most importantly, consumers globally. [...] With our collective assets and diversified business model, Warner Bros. Discovery offers the most differentiated and complete portfolio of content across film, television and streaming. We are confident that we can bring more choice to consumers around the globe while fostering creativity and creating value for shareholders. I can’t wait for both teams to come together to make Warner Bros. Discovery the best place for impactful storytelling."
Shortly after the acquisition became official, #RestoreTheSnyderVerse began trending on Twitter. Though the purchase is not the focus of every tweet, it is a prevalent sentiment among a large number of the reactions shared:
Discovery's Collaborative Nature
As was previously mentioned, fans have started different campaigns for Warner Bros. to continue Zack Snyder's DC Universe over the years. Some have stemmed from anniversaries, and others from WB deeming Zack Snyder's Justice League a success. If this new push is indeed due to Discovery finalizing its purchase of WarnerMedia, said attempts beg the question: What about the $43-billion acquisition makes the Snyder-Verse continuing feasible?
While it's difficult to pinpoint a specific reason, it could be due Discovery's reported collaborative nature. As The Hollywood Reporter explained: "For former WarnerMedia staff, observers predict a culture change from the AT&T days. While driven and results-focused, [Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav] has a reputation for a less formal and more collaborative management approach than AT&T top executives, which sees him calling or talking to executives quite regularly."
Yet, assuming that's indeed what's driving Snyder's fanbase to advocate for the director's DC Universe to continue, it's not necessarily realistic to expect Discovery's business approach to have such an outcome. With Warner Bros.' Discovery now having one of the most extensive media libraries in the entertainment business, Zaslav's collaborative nature will more than likely be spread across the company's different content offerings, and not just focused on DC.
The next installment in DC's live-action film franchise, Black Adam, is scheduled to be released on October 21, 2022. It will be followed by Shazam! Fury of the Gods (December 16, 2022) and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (March 17, 2023).
What do you think about #RestoreTheSnyderVerse trending again? Let us know in the comments.