UPDATE: A new piece of the decode: our source says Paramount-WBD plans to put Snyder directors’ cuts in theaters as a way to gauge demand for future projects.
Zack Snyder just dropped his most elaborate tease yet, and the decode writes itself.
On Sunday, the director posted a video of himself skipping a stone he made in his studio, writing that he crafted “a 106g skipping stone out of clay,” took it down to “a little casting pond in the Arroyo Seco,” and skipped it clean across.
Then the kicker: “Back to the studio, I think I need a bigger pond.”
The post pulled 24.6K likes in nine hours. Here is what we think the post really means.
106 = 10/6: October 6
The stone weighs 106 grams, with “106” etched right into the clay.
October 6 is the exact date in 2020 when Snyder officially commenced the additional photography and reshoots for Zack Snyder’s Justice League.
That was the day cinematographer Fabian Wagner shared the first photo from the Snyder Cut set, a massive soundstage wrapped in blue screens, captioned “back to it.”
Six years ago, the phrase was “back to it.” This weekend, it’s “back to the studio.”
A “Casting Pond” And A “Bigger Pond”
Read the caption again, because the wordplay is doing jumping jacks.
Snyder went to a casting pond. A little one. And his takeaway was that he needs a bigger pond.
If you think the director who spent the past month teasing his return chose the word “casting” by accident, I have a bridge over the Arroyo Seco to sell you.
As for “back to the studio,” Snyder was literally at the studio on Wednesday, posting from the Warner Bros. lot set to a song called “Home.” Previous to that, he was at the Paramount lot.
What’s the bigger pond? Obviously, it’s the combined might of Paramount-WBD. And it happens to follow David Ellison’s promise to commit in writing to release 30 films a year in theaters.
Stoned Me, 2013, And The Stone Quarry
The soundtrack game continues, and this pick is a double.
The video is set to Van Morrison’s “And It Stoned Me,” specifically the 2013 Remaster. 2013 is the year Man of Steel was released, the film that started it all, a detail fans clocked in the comments within hours.
And the stone itself? Snyder’s production company is called The Stone Quarry. The man built himself a literal calling card and skipped it across the water.
The Comments Know
Deborah Snyder dropped by to say the video reminded her of the first time she watched Zack skipping stones in New Zealand, the day she fell in love with him.
The fans were less sentimental and more forensic. One counted seven ricochets across the water and paired it with the stone’s weight to call a SnyderVerse return for 10/6/2027. That is the energy out there right now.
Add it to the pile: the Cavill posts, the lot visit, David Ayer following him under the water tower, and Snyder telling a live crowd a Dark Knight Returns movie happens “when they let us.” All of it while Newsom pressures Bonta to settle the lawsuit standing in the way.
A 106 gram stone, a casting pond, a bigger pond, and a 2013 needle drop. Decode away, and check back for more. I can already hear Han Zimmer’s “Flight” playing.
