Superhero movies occupy quite a lot of cinema space in today’s landscape. With the rise of giant superhero brands, Marvel Cinematic Universe and DC Universe, recent movie history has witnessed a great deal of shift and changes. While some filmmakers have shown their concern for the genre engulfing others including indie films, some have questioned its sustainability which includes Steven Spielberg.
There is no shred of doubt that superhero movies are designed to be blockbusters and for studios, it is always a gamble to try something new with newer characters. Both DC and Marvel Studios have shared a fair part of success and loss amid the rise of a phenomenon called superhero fatigue. With Spielberg’s remark on the genre, Zack Snyder shared his thoughts on being the director and advocate of superhero movies.
Zack Snyder Commented On Steven Spielberg’s Remarks On Superhero Movies
Steven Spielberg is a legend with astounding directorial credits to his name. Observing the rise of superhero movies, the director has made a prediction about the genre saying, the genre would “go the way of the Western” (via /Film) through which he inherently meant that the genre would not last long.
Zack Snyder who gave birth to Snyderverse in DC Extended Universe, was not in line with the Hollywood veteran but he admitted his validity of observation.
“He might not be wrong. I think it puts more pressure on us, the filmmakers, to not just crank out superhero movies for the sake of it. To me, the one thing I love working in the DC universe is that Superman and Batman and Wonder Woman are American mythology. It’s not about making a superhero, it’s a mythological universe that we live in. That I hope stands the test of time. They stood the test of time. That’s hopefully the sort of magic bullet. But who knows what audiences will want in the future,” Snyder said in a char with Yahoo.
Snyder argued that superhero movies are not mere fights between the hero and the nemesis, like the engrossing comic books that have fascinated readers throughout history, superhero movies based on comic books would stand the test of time.
Zack Snyder Commented On The Future of Superhero Movies
Snyder who directed Man of Steel in DC strongly believes the inherent drama evident in superhero movies. Batman or Superman, or Joker for that matter, have enjoyed the fandom of popular culture over many decades. Speaking with The Daily Beast he further reflected on Spielberg’s comment. “I feel like he’s right,” Snyder said.
“But I feel like Batman and Superman are transcendent of superhero movies in a way, because they’re Batman and Superman. They’re not just, like, the flavor of the week Ant-Man—not to be mean, but whatever it is. What is the next Blank-Man?”
The future is always unpredictable but while crediting Christopher Nolan for his masterful The Dark Knight Trilogy, Snyder continued:
“It’s a tricky process, setting up the DC universe, or Justice League. The credit goes to Chris Nolan because he set the die for the DC Universe in a great way that I tried to emulate. I look at it as more being mythological than, say, bubblegum. And I think that that’s appropriate for Batman and Superman because they’re the most mythological of our superheroes.”
Now, Snyder is not involved in any superhero movies as of yet as he left DC which is now under James Gunn and Peter Safran’s tenure. Still, the director advocates the essence of superhero movies.
