Zack Snyder Eyes Bold Batman Adaptation for Netflix
Zack Snyder, famed for Watchmen, has his sights set on a gritty Batman project. Could Netflix be the platform to bring his vision of The Dark Knight Returns to life?
Back in 2009, Zack Snyder made waves with his take on Watchmen, a film that’s still held up as one of the standout superhero flicks. Years later, on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Snyder let slip he’d be keen to tackle Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Frank Miller’s iconic tale, in a style reminiscent of his Watchmen adaptation.
I think it would just be its own thing. I would do it 100 percent Watchmen style. I don’t even think it’d be that expensive, to be honest. It’s pretty gritty.
That comment came before his departure from the DCEU, but with Netflix now holding the reins after their acquisition of Warner Bros., the idea of Snyder returning to the world of Gotham doesn’t seem so far-fetched. The streaming giant’s ongoing partnership with Snyder only adds fuel to the fire for fans hoping to see this project get off the ground.
Animated Inspiration: A Blueprint for the Big Screen
Snyder’s reputation for delivering on dark, complex stories has punters confident he could do justice to one of the most raw and hard-hitting Batman arcs. He’s not short on inspiration either. The two-part animated film, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, directed by Jay Oliva, has already shown how Miller’s story can be brought to life with grit and style. The film follows an older Bruce Wayne donning the cape once more to clean up a crumbling Gotham, and it’s been a hit with both critics and locals alike.
Released straight to video in 2012 and 2013, the animated adaptation was praised for sticking close to the source material and nailing the heavy, sombre tone. The two parts together pulled in around $10.2 million, a tidy sum for an animated DC outing. The cast included Peter Weller, Ariel Winter, David Selby, Wade Williams, and Carlos Alazraqui, and the films scored highly on Rotten Tomatoes and IMDb, cementing their place as fan favourites.
Netflix’s Opportunity: Tapping Into Snyder’s DC Know-How
With Netflix’s recent $82.7 billion takeover of WBD, they’ve got the keys to the DC kingdom, including all the films and comics. Given Snyder’s history as the architect of the DCEU, it seems like a no-brainer for Netflix to bring him on board for new projects. Many reckon the DCEU started to lose its way after Snyder stepped back during Justice League’s production, suggesting his vision was never fully realised.
Now, with the chance to work on standalone projects, Netflix could make the most of Snyder’s deep knowledge of the DC universe. His knack for delivering dark, compelling stories—like Watchmen—makes him a strong pick for a project as weighty as The Dark Knight Returns. With all the pieces in place, Netflix has a golden opportunity to make a statement by letting Snyder loose on this much-loved Batman story.
Think the Watchmen magic can be recaptured? Let us know what you reckon in the comments. Batman: The Dark Knight Returns Parts 1 & 2 are currently available on Amazon Video (US).