Zack Snyder has revealed that a former Warner Bros. executive eventually admitted the studio had been wrong to fight the filmmaker over his vision for the DC Universe.

Speaking in a new interview with Variety, Snyder reflected on the turbulent end of his time overseeing Warner Bros.’ interconnected DC films and the extensive changes made to Justice League after his departure.

According to Snyder, he later had a conversation with an unnamed former Warner Bros. executive who offered a surprising admission.

“I met with this executive at Warner Bros. who’s long gone since — I won’t say who it was — and he said to me, ‘You know, Zack, I’ve got to tell you one thing: You were right about everything.’”

Snyder said the executive went even further.

“We were fighting you, and in the end you were right.”

When asked what Warner Bros. had been fighting him over, Snyder said it extended far beyond a single movie.

“The whole vision for the DC universe and the way I made movies and everything.”

Wayne T. Carr, as Green Lantern [Zack Snyder]

Snyder acknowledged that the studio was attempting to protect an enormously valuable collection of characters and franchises, but said the Warner Bros. leadership at the time repeatedly attempted to control the direction of his DC universe.

The conflict eventually became most visible with Justice League.

Snyder stepped away from the movie during post-production in 2017 following the death of his daughter Autumn. Joss Whedon subsequently oversaw extensive rewrites and reshoots before the theatrical version of Justice League was released.

Snyder says he still has never watched that version of the film. His wife and producing partner Deborah Snyder saw it and advised him not to watch it.

Years later, the massive #ReleaseTheSnyderCut fan campaign ultimately resulted in Warner Bros. allowing Snyder to complete his original version of the movie. Zack Snyder’s Justice League was released in 2021, restoring numerous characters, storylines and sequences that had been removed or significantly altered for the theatrical cut.

Zack Snyders Justice League [Warner Bros.]

Snyder described finally completing his version of the film as “catharsis.”

The filmmaker’s larger DC plans, however, were never completed. His intended storyline would have continued beyond Justice League through additional films, while Warner Bros. ultimately moved away from the interconnected universe Snyder had begun with Man of Steel.

DC has since entered an entirely new era under DC Studios co-heads James Gunn and Peter Safran.

Despite the history surrounding his departure, Snyder said he likes Gunn and appreciates his vision for DC. He also revealed that he has not yet watched the new Superman or Supergirl, explaining that his relationship with the characters remains “a little bit too personal.”

For fans who have spent years debating what might have happened had Snyder been allowed to complete his original DC plans, however, the filmmaker’s account of the former Warner Bros. executive’s admission adds a remarkable new chapter to the SnyderVerse story.

As Supergirl arrives in theaters, fans are getting a glimpse at what might have been. Screenwriter Ana Nogueira has revealed that the original standalone Supergirl film she wrote for Sasha Calle during the former DC Extended Universe (DCEU) era was entirely different from the version audiences are seeing today.

Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Nogueira explained that none of her original screenplay carried over after James Gunn and Peter Safran rebooted DC Studios. Instead, she started from scratch to create a new story based on DC Comics’ acclaimed Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow.

“It could not have been more different,” Nogueira said of the shelved Sasha Calle project, emphasizing that the tone, mythology, and overall direction were completely reimagined for the new DC Universe.

Calle first portrayed Kara Zor El in 2023’s The Flash, with the expectation that she would continue playing the character in future DCEU projects. However, Warner Bros.’ leadership changes and the launch of the new DCU ultimately shifted those plans, leading to Milly Alcock taking over the role for the franchise’s fresh start.

Milly Alcock Supergirl [credit: Warner Bros. Pictures]

The new Supergirl adapts Woman of Tomorrow, following Kara as she joins the young Ruthye Marye Knoll on a revenge driven journey across the galaxy. The film also features Jason Momoa as Lobo and continues the interconnected story established by Gunn’s new DC Universe.

Although fans will never get to see Calle’s standalone movie, Nogueira’s comments confirm it wasn’t simply an earlier draft of the current film. It was an entirely separate vision built for a very different version of DC. While that chapter has closed, Calle has previously expressed gratitude for getting the opportunity to bring Supergirl to the big screen, even if it was only for a single film.

Genre:

Action, Adventure, Fantasy

Release Date:

December 20,  2023

Director:

James Wan

Cast:

Jason Momoa, Patrick Wilson, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II

Plot Summary:

Arthur must enlist the help of his half-brother Orm in order to protect Atlantis against Black Manta, who has unleashed a devastating weapon in his obsessive quest to avenge his father’s death.