Zack Snyder Teases Batman ‘The Dark Knight Returns’

Zack Snyder Teases Batman ‘The Dark Knight Returns’

Zack Snyder just dropped another image stirring speculation and this time, it points directly at Batman.

The photo shows Snyder’s workbench filled with pottery jars, but eagle-eyed fans quickly spotted something tucked into the corner: a copy of Frank Miller’s iconic graphic novel, The Dark Knight Returns.

“Down in my studio- Arroyo Clayworks,” said Snyder.

Zack Snyder Shares New Ben Affleck Batman Photo, Says 'More to Come'

Zack Snyder wants Ben Affleck as Batman

Snyder has long expressed interest in adapting the story in a comic-accurate way (see below).

With recent buzz around Netflix’s acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, some fans are wondering if this tease is more than just a coincidence.

Sources tell us that Snyder wants Ben Affleck back as Batman, and that Affleck is open to returning under the right circumstances.

We’re also hearing Snyder’s recent wave of Justice League-era behind-the-scenes images is more than just nostalgia, as he’s reportedly testing fan response, which has been overwhelmingly positive.

Could a live-action Dark Knight Returns be next on Snyder’s list at Netflix? Ben Affleck’s new movie with Matt Damon, The Rip, happens to be at Netflix. Affleck also has the Batsuit fully on display at their studio.

If Paramount happens to nab WBD, we’re told the SnyderVerse could be fully back in play.

Zack Snyder Wants DC Return With Batman: The Dark Knight Returns (Exclusive)

What has Zack Snyder said about The Dark Knight Returns?

Back in December of 2023, Zack did say he would end his superhero career with The Dark Knight Returns.

“If you look at Watchmen where Alan [Moore] took like basically iconographic characters that you could superimpose over a lot of, you know if Night Owl is Batman and Doctor Manhattan has Superman-ish qualities, you can make all these different sorts of archetypical hero analysis over the top of those heroes,” Snyder said at he time.

Snyder continued, “The thing about Dark Knight Returns is it is literally Batman and Superman and Wonder Woman and the deconstruction is so obvious and so palpable. For me, it was like comics grew up in a single moment. When I read that book I was completely laid bare, everything I thought about superheroes. For me, it’s the greatest comic book ever written. If I could do that then I will have done Watchmen and Dark Knight Returns and I would be pretty much done with superheroes.”

About Matt McGloin

Matt McGloin is the editor-in-chief and publisher of Cosmic Book News, the independent entertainment news site he founded in 2008. He covers movies, comics, TV, video games, and pop culture, and has reported major industry scoops over the years, including revealing the Avengers: Endgame title ahead of its official announcement. Through Cosmic Book News, he helped Marvel Comics promote Guardians of the Galaxy and Nova through exclusive previews, artwork, and interviews, with the site also quoted in solicitations and on comic covers. He also reported on Marvel’s Daredevil: Born Again retooling before it was later confirmed by the trades.