Summary

Zack Snyder ’s live - action adaption ofThe Dark Knight Returnsis the good chance for the director to helm aDCmovie after the end of his Snyderverse franchise . The10 - twelvemonth - long DCEU began withMan of Steel , which established a cinematic universe centered on Superman and the Justice League . Zack Snyder ’s original plans for the DCEUwere composed of five lineament films that adopt these characters as they rose to fame , assemble a squad , experience an apocalypse , and fought to touch on balance . alas , Snyder ’s vision for the DCEU could n’t be complete , but the director got the hazard to depart the enfranchisement with the reverberating achiever ofZack Snyder ’s Justice League .

Now , Ben Affleck has given his final farewell as Batman inThe Flash , and two new actors will be playing the character in the dear hereafter : Robert Pattinson in Matt Reeves’The Batmanfranchise , and a new Batman thespian who ’s yet to be rove forthe DCU’sThe Brave and the Bold . With these two parallel Batman portrayals potentially lasting for more than a decennium , it ’s unlikely that a unexampled live - action Batman will be introduced anytime soon . However , it ’s still possible for Zack Snyder to get another shot at writing and directing a Batman chronicle some sidereal day , and Frank Miller’sThe Dark Knight Returnsseems like the ideal comic book storyline for that supposed project .

Why The Dark Knight Returns Is Snyder’s Perfect DC Return

Zack Snyder ’s employment on the DCEU draws a lot fromThe Dark Knight return . In fact , Batman v Superman : Dawn of Justiceis the closest a DC movie has get to a live - actionThe Dark Knight Returnsadaptation . Just like in Frank Miller ’s 1986 graphic novel , Ben Affleck ’s DCEU Batmanis a wearied version of the Dark Knight who puts more durability in his clout and hold a cynical position of the world . Likewise , Batman expend Kryptonite and a suit of armor to struggle Superman , and the level ends with a death that ’s suggested to not last too long . Zack Snyder admires and understandsThe Dark Knight Returns , and he has expressed interestingness in adapting the comic book , even afterBatman v Superman : Dawn of Justiceand the end of the DCEU .

A one - to - one recreation of the pictorial novel could seem repetitive due toBatman v Superman : Dawn of Justice ’s plot , but there ’s passel of material from the comic bookBatman v Supermandidn’t blanket . For instance , The Dark Knight Returns’dystopian future tense , Carrie Kelley a.k.a . Robin , the " Mutants " criminal gang , the Batman imitator vigilance man " Sons of the Batman " , and other DC support character like Green Arrow , the Joker , Two - Face , and Catwoman . If Zack Snyder ever tried his hand at aThe Dark Knight Returnsadaptation , he could let in all these elements plus a deeper geographic expedition of Batman ’s morality and bequest , the medium ’s role in crime and justice , and the risk of vigilantism .

Sadly, The Snyderverse Can’t Coexist With The New DCU

While a fresh Batman picture show head by Zack Snyder would likely be successful , three simultaneous Batmen on the big screen would be too much similar content for ecumenical audiences , and Snyder ’s involvement in a novel DC flick would raise imitation hope of a Snyderverse and DCEU revival despite their confirmed conclusion . Since the DCU is a direct reboot of the DCEU , the few connections to Zack Snyder ’s body of work that get included in the raw franchise , the easy it will be to make a fluid passage between cinematic universes . This is peculiarly true for a key character like Batman , who needs a streamlined continuity in the DCU .

link up : DC Universe ’s First Batman & Superman Crossover Can Be The Anti - BvS

The Dark Knight Returns Can’t Happen Yet… And That’s Good

The low chances of a lively - actionThe Dark Knight Returnsadaptation happening anytime before long is actually beneficial both for DC and for Snyder himself . Matt Reeves’The Batmanuniverseand the DCU have all the freedom to explore their own version of the Caped Crusader without worrying about overlap between them and another portrayal , much more so consider thatThe Dark Knight Returns ' old-timer Batman would in all likelihood allude to his own backstory , which could unexpectedly share several elements with either franchise . Meanwhile , Zack Snyder can go after other creative opportunity like hisArmy of the DeadandRebel Moonfranchises , both with no press from comic Word accuracy or the need to stick to a wider cinematic world .

If a openhanded - concealment adaptation ofThe Dark Knight Returnsis ever made , it may need to outdistance itself from the DCEU ’s discrepant overture to Batman . Therefore , Matt Reeves’The Batmantrilogy and James Gunn ’s DC Universe can provide the staring severance from Ben Affleck ’s veteran Batman and leave enough space for another take on an old Dark Knight . By the metre a properTDKRadaptation can be made , its similarity withBatman v Superman : Dawn of Justicewouldn’t be as troublesome , and Batman ’s earlier year would already be thoroughly explored by other recent DC picture show .

Related : Wayne Easter Egg In Man Of Steel Set Up The DCEU ’s Batman 3 Years Before Ben Affleck ’s First Appearance

Keanu Reeves looking over one shoulder as John Wick in Ballerina

The Dark Knight Returns Could Fix Ben Affleck’s Missed Batman Opportunity

Zack Snyder’sThe Dark Knight Returnscould start a new live - activity DC persistence , completely sovereign of the Snyderverse ’s timeline . However , it could also bring back Ben Affleck , either as the same looping of Batman he play in the DCEU or an alternate version in a self - take universe . Either fashion , Zack Snyder’sThe Dark Knight Returnscould in conclusion restoreBen Affleck ’s canceled Batman solo movie , which Affleck was near to star in and directing before his DCEU departure . Ben Affleck has been the actor with the most Batman appearances on the big screen , yet he never got to asterisk in his own solo movie despite have such a big influence in the DCEU .

Although Ben Affleck ’s Batman already went through many of the experiences the graphic symbol has inthe generator material , a live - action adaptation ofThe Dark Knight Returnscould allow the thespian to explore aspects of the case that no other actor has been capable to , particularly weigh thatThe Dark Knight Returnswould be the first big - screen movie to star an older Batman in a non - encouraging role . at last , Zack Snyder’sThe Dark Knight Returnswould be the last reliable parting to Ben Affleck ’s Batman , and it would pay off Bruce Wayne’s"maybe next time"line fromThe Flashin the magnanimous way potential .

Sidious, Tyranus, Maul, and Vader.

In a dusty landscape Finn stares out into the distance in Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Zack Snyder’s Justice League in the DCEU and The Dark Knight Returns

Batman Armored Batsuit in Dawn of Justice and The Dark Knight Rises

James Gunn in front of members of the DCEU Justice League

Split image of Ben Affleck’s Batman and Joe Manganiello’s Deathstroke

Batman