Zack Snyder Clarifies If Future Synderverse Projects Could Ever Happen

Snyderverse fans haven't given up hope for their beloved franchise, and now its chief architect has given them a little more to hold onto. During an appearance on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Zack Snyder said that he "would never say that there's no way" his now-shuttered franchise would return and even claimed to have had talks about continuing his story, even if it doesn't end up being in movie form.

Though it was officially shuttered in 2023, the DC Extended Universe is the franchise that just won't die. Otherwise known as the Snyderverse, owing to the fact that Snyder established the series with 2013's "Man of Steel," the 16-film saga was supposed to be consigned to cinematic history once James Gunn and Peter Safran took over as co-heads of the then newly-minted DC Studios in 2022. But not only did Gunn make things difficult for himself by retaining several aspects of the erstwhile franchise, Snyder and his fans have seemingly been unable to move on.

In the wake of the DCEU came the DC Universe, Gunn's reimagined take on the source material that would overhaul DC's entire cinematic enterprise ... sort of. The director seemed unwilling to jettison every aspect of the Snyderverse, and it made for a needlessly confusing soft reboot that was the opposite of what DC needed. Meanwhile, having used some insidious tactics to finally realize the so-called "Snyder Cut" of "Justice League," Snyderverse fans continued to lobby for their hero's full reinstatement. At the same time, the DCEU imploded with a string of bombs in 2023 that sealed its fate. Still, Snyder and his followers persisted, and they might just get what they want.

James Gunn kicked off the DC Universe with his charming crowd-pleaser "Superman," which reimagined the Man of Steel as a more self-conscious, endearingly goofy iteration of the character. Clearly, Gunn was at least partially motivated by a desire to set his film apart from the grim, desaturated vibes of Zack Snyder's Superman, and in that sense, the film was a success. Snyder then shared his positive reaction to Gunn's "Superman," saying the DC Studios co-head was "a great steward of that world."

Throughout the often bitter and embarrassing online discourse surrounding the fall of the Snyderverse, then, the two directors remained on good terms. At times, that looked as though it might even lead to Snyder's return in some capacity. In 2025, a viral photo revealed that Gunn and Snyder had met, leading to widespread speculation that the latter was being tapped for a future DC Studios project. That speculation was quickly shut down by Gunn, making it all feel like unnecessary fan baiting.

With all that in mind, it's not all that difficult to see why Snyder fans still cling to hope that the director might at least get another shot at a DC movie, even if his cinematic universe never gets fully resurrected. Both sides of this debacle are at fault, and it's made the DC Studios launch a bit of a bummer, to be honest. Now, Snyder is dragging out what is already one big drag by telling everyone that there's a chance we'll all have to sit through yet another dour deconstruction of the superhero archetype at some point.

On the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Zack Snyder was asked about his never-realized plans for future "Justice League" films. After claiming that fans' ongoing love for his films "confirms in some way the validity of the mythology that we were working on," the director added:

"I would never say that there's no way. I would never, because I was on the ride that created 'Justice League' and if you were in my shoes, there were numerous times, dark times when I would say there is no chance that there will ever be my version of 'Justice League.'"

According to Snyder, "cost" and "politics" almost prevented "Zack Snyder's Justice League" from surfacing in 2021. "I think the fans should never forget that they did that," he continued, before touting the more than $500,000 he and his "Release the Snyder Cut" movement helped raise for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. 

Asked whether his unmade "Justice League" movies could ever see the light of day in some form other than film, the director said, "We've absolutely talked about it quite a bit," before joking that we might even see a "Broadway musical" version.

Ultimately, Snyder hit the nail on the head when he described his never-realized "Justice League" trilogy as "a weed that just won't die." It's not the most flattering way to refer to your vision, but it seems appropriate nonetheless. "It grows on its own," added Snyder, who ultimately seemed to be more optimistic about the story of the trilogy playing out in some non-blockbuster format. Either way, this will no doubt sound positive to Snyderverse fans and like more needless rearview-mirror gazing to those who thought James Gunn's "Superman" proved that Snyder's take on the character was always nonsense.