Zack Snyder Says He Still Wants to Make The Dark Knight Returns Film

Director Zack Snyder has again expressed interest in adapting Frank Miller's 1986 graphic novel The Dark Knight Returns for film, according to an interview with Variety cited by The Guardian, even as two separate Batman projects are already in development at DC Studios.

Snyder made the comments while promoting his forthcoming film The Last Photograph. He is no longer affiliated with the DC film universe he once helped shape; his versions of Batman and Superman have since been set aside by DC Studios' current leadership, James Gunn and Peter Safran, who took over the franchise with different creative plans, The Guardian reported.

According to the report, Snyder told Variety he has discussed the idea of adapting The Dark Knight Returns for years. He said he would want to make the film outside the mainline DC Universe continuity, describing Miller's book as "a novel that just happens to have superheroes in it."

"If I could do Watchmen and The Dark Knight Returns, those two books next to each other, to me, represent the complete cycle of the superhero comic book medium," Snyder said, according to the interview quoted by The Guardian.

The Dark Knight Returns depicts an aging Batman emerging from retirement to confront a dystopian, crime-ridden Gotham City. The graphic novel is widely regarded as one of the most influential Batman stories and has shaped depictions of the character across various media since its publication.

Snyder previously directed Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League for Warner Bros., films that drew on elements of Miller's darker take on the character. The Guardian noted that Snyder has repeatedly returned to the idea of adapting the source material directly, despite shifts in DC's studio leadership and creative direction.

DC Studios currently has two other Batman-related projects in production, though details on those projects were not specified in the report. It remains unclear whether Snyder's proposal has received any formal consideration from the studio.