Snyder Discusses Batman v Superman and Affleck
Zack Snyder discusses Batman v Superman and Ben Affleck’s Batman in a new interview!
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice director Zack Snyder has sat down for yet another interview, this time with the editor of the magazine Famous Monsters of Filmland, David Weiner. The full interview will not be available until issue #284 hits newsstands on February 2, but Holly Interlandi has posted a few excerpts of the discussion on the magazine’s website. The first excerpt is about creating a believable title-character match-up in Batman v Superman:
"The discovery of the story is that Batman fights Superman. Now move your superhero chess pieces so that can happen. And it can happen in a credible and interesting way. … It’s just incredibly satisfying and fun to dig into these two mythological characters and find a through line that allows them to come into conflict in a way that not only is philosophically satisfying, but also physically real."
The trailers have done a good job proving to fans that Batman and Superman have understandable animosity towards one another, but Snyder is definitely hammering it home that the film explores the philosophical differences between the two heroes. Batman blames Superman for the collateral damage from his fight with General Zod, and Superman believes Batman crosses the line in his fight for justice.
The second (and shortest) excerpt has to do with Ben Affleck playing an older, wiser Batman. “He’s not yet tired of his place in the world. He’s definitely still tooth-and-nailing it,” says Snyder. While clearly inspired by Frank Miller’s Dark Knight Returns Batman in terms of age, design, and his conflict with Superman, it’s starting to sound like this DC Extended Universe Batman doesn’t harbor doubt about whether or not he is still needed. Knowing that a Robin’s death would indeed play a role in the psychology of Batman in the DCEU, I had thought that it might lead to Bruce Wayne questioning continuing to be Batman (as in The Dark Knight Returns), but based on this quote from Snyder, that may not be the case.
Finally, in the third excerpt, Snyder reacts to the criticism of excessive destruction in Man of Steel:
"I stand by it, because for me, I’ve always said when I was working on WATCHMEN — and maybe it’s sort of left over from a WATCHMEN philosophical sort of thing — that there should be consequences to superheroes’ interaction with the earth. And that was kind of the way that we approached MAN OF STEEL. I wanted a big consequence to Superman’s arrival on earth. Certainly, BATMAN v SUPERMAN sort of cashes in all its chips on the ‘why’ of that destruction."
Next: Batman v Superman Footage From Dawn Of Justice League Online
The fight between Superman and General Zod in Man of Steel was actually one of my favorite Superman fights of all-time. The destruction doesn’t bother me from a story standpoint, because it’s going to be addressed. It’s obviously a huge plot point for Batman v Superman. Had Man of Steel 2 remained next on the slate instead of Batman v Superman, and if it didn’t deal with repercussions of the damage from the fight, I’d have a problem, but it sounds like Snyder is going in the right direction. Famous Monsters of Filmland #284 is available for pre-order here. Not only will it include the full Snyder interview, but there’s an epic shot of the Trinity on the cover. Let me know in the comments what you think of the latest from Snyder, and be sure to keep it locked to Caped Crusades for continuing coverage of Batman v Superman and for all your Batman news!