Zack Snyder explains why he has superhero movie “fatigue”

❘ Published: 2023-12-27T10:18:17

Warner Bros.

Zack Snyder is one of the most prolific superhero movie directors of the 21st century – but even he has “fatigue” for the genre.

Snyder got his start with a ferocious, sprint-paced remake of Dawn of the Dead, putting him in Hollywood’s good graces for his next movies: a torso-booting adaptation of 300, and one of the most significant comic book films of the 2000s with Watchmen.

After a lackluster run with Legend of the Guardians and Sucker Punch, he launched the franchise that’s come to define him: the DCEU, kicking off with the superb, divisive Man of Steel, before directing Batman v Superman and his enormous cut of Justice League.

With the doors to that universe officially closed after Aquaman 2, and the likes of Ant-Man 3 and The Marvels flopping hard in 2023, the superhero boom appears to be fizzling out – and Snyder thinks he knows why.

Zack Snyder has superhero movie fatigue

In a new interview with The Atlantic for Rebel Moon, his new space opera on Netflix now, Snyder was asked about the downward trend of superhero movies’ box office performance.

“I have the same fatigue,” he said, describing comic book adaptations as a “cul-de-sac now… no one thinks they’re going to a one-off superhero movie.”

Looking over the past five years, it’s hard to say he’s wrong: since 2018, there’s been 16 MCU movies, 10 Marvel TV shows, and 14 DC movies. Some that seemed to stand alone are getting sequels (Joker), while others initially billed as franchise-starters (Black Adam) have been left to rust.

Snyder earlier said he’d consider returning to DC if he could direct a “true” adaptation of The Dark Knight Returns, and he’d also continue his universe on Netflix if the streamer obtained the rights. However, the main point is this: he’s in no rush to do it all again.

“I’m not knocking on James Gunn’s door, going, like, ‘Bro, shoot me one of those sweet movies.’ The holy grail is some original IP that you create, that has resonance and is cool,” he said.

Rebel Moon is streaming on Netflix now. In the meantime, check out our other superhero movie hubs below: