Zack Snyder reveals that the Justice League will only have minor roles in Batman v Superman, and discusses how Watchmen prepared him for this movie.
If you were worried Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice would feel like a crowded house, you can put your fears to bed. During an appearance on the Hall of Justice podcast, director Zack Snyder basically confirmed the rampant rumours that Aquaman, The Flash and Cyborg would feature in the movie, but admitted that they will only have a very small role to play
“I really feel like this movie… I mean as far as the other Justice League characters go, it’s very small roles. It’s a whisper that they exist. Except for Wonder Woman, we see her pretty well. But the movie is about Batman and Superman. And we really do take time with them, and we really do drill down on the ‘why’ of them, and what they stand for, and their beliefs, and them as characters. That’s pretty much the ‘why’ of the movie. But again, it does begin the conversation that these guys are out there.”
There’s been a slew of speculation thus far that Batman v Superman will see the Justice League unite in the final moments, but that hasn’t been confirmed as of yet. Snyder didn’t say as much, but he has basically assured us that the other members would make an appearance, even if just a name-drop. He also responded to the heavy criticism for 2013’s Man of Steel and promised faithful versions of all the characters in this upcoming film.
“I gotta say I was pretty ready for it, because I knew that we were really updating a character, a beloved character. I don’t think changing him – you know, people are always like “You changed Superman.” I’m like “if you’re a comic book fan, you know I didn’t change Superman. If you know the true canon, you know that I didn’t change Superman. If you’re a fan of the old movies, yeah, I changed him a bit. That’s the difference. I’m a bit of a comic book fan and I always default to the true canon, not the sort of cinematic canon, in my opinion, where they play slightly fast and loose with the rules. And so I feel like I tried to create a Superman that would set a tone for the world. And again, Christopher Nolan as producer on the film, and who really created the story and who is a close friend, we worked closely together, to try and make a movie that felt consistent with the DC Universe as it was created. And it was something that I wanted to do anyway, so it really made sense. My point is that we DON’T take liberties. My point is if you know anything about the actual characters, you’ll see that they’re very much… what we’ve done is create a universe where those characters can really be the mythological characters as they’re designed in the comic books. So if you were a fan of them in the comic books, you’ll get a great opportunity to see what they look like, and how they move, and are real.”
Man of Steel and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice aren’t Snyder’s first ventures into the realm of comic book movies – he also directed 2009’s R rated adaptation of Watchmen. While many of the pre-existing fan base were critical, there was still plenty of positives with that film, namely the way Snyder balanced all the characters and allowed them time to shine. It was his experience working on Watchmen, Snyder says, that prepared him for his latest job.
“Watchmen, in a weird way, is Justice League anyway. It’s sort of coming to Justice League and understanding what it would be in the Watchmen universe… its kind of retirement, after it’s been destroyed. Sort of re-examining and putting together what had happened. The cool thing about is if you’ve really pored over Watchmen the way I clearly have, it’s kind of like this education that you can’t get any other way, as far as the ‘why’ of superheroes, and the ‘why’ of… a league of superheroes. It’s a primer in the most basic sense… of a Justice League type group. I think that knowledge, and sort of dealing with those personalities has really prepared me to really go forward into this world with a keen awareness not only to the ‘why’ of a group like that, but also to the ‘why’ of their existence in pop culture.”
Only time will tell whether or not Snyder will be able to bring the lessons he learned there to Batman v Superman. The movie will be released on March 25.
Are you excited to see how he brings all these DC characters together? Do you have faith he’ll do a good job? Sound off in the comments section below!
Source: Hall of Justice Podcast