Warner Bros. Executive Said Zack Snyder's Personality Hurts His DCEU Movies
2022 isn't only a fresh start for Warner Bros. and the DCEU; it's also the year of the Bat. In addition to Matt Reeves' The Batman, Warner Bros. is exploring its own Universe with The Flash, which stars not only Michael Keaton's incarnation of the Dark Knight, but also Ben Affleck's from Zack Snyder's Batman v Superman and Justice League.
While Keaton has been wearing the cowl for years, Affleck has only recently played the role in Zack Snyder's Justice League, which was released in 2021. It remains to be seen whether The Flash will be the actor's final appearance as the Caped Crusader; nevertheless, Zack Snyder seems to have moved on to making movies such as Army of the Dead. As fans attempt to comprehend a DC slate without Snyder, some are still trying to figure out why his movies weren't as warmly received by experts as they were by his diehard fans.
Former Warner Bros. executive Greg Silverman recently agreed with a tweet saying that the lack of recognition for Snyder's DC flicks is due to reviewers' perceptions of Snyder. Silverman stated in his own tweet:
"I couldn’t agree more. My suspicion always was that Zack’s kindness openness and enthusiasm created an environment for critics to undervalue his work. Because he is a decent approachable humble human, he didn’t fit the mold of an auteur. Shitty. Should be the opposite."
During his time at Warner Bros., Silverman handled not just Batman v Superman and Suicide Squad, but also Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight, which received mostly excellent reviews. While Silverman is certainly familiar with the comic book genre, it's worth remembering that he departed the studio before the premiere of 2017's Justice League, in which Warner Bros. replaced Snyder's project and vision with Joss Whedon's.
This flop sparked the fan-led Release of the Snyder Cut effort, which ended in Zack Snyder's Justice League being released on HBO Max in 2021. The buildup to the cut's release also highlighted "Zack's friendliness, openness, and enthusiasm" due to his pleasant connections with fanbase and reporters - a striking contrast to his penchant for melancholy protagonists and high body counts.
It's hard to claim with confidence that Zack Snyder's personality impacted critics, and to Silverman's part, he did note that his assumption was his opinion. Nonetheless, it's a possibility worth investigating for several reasons.
To begin with, while Silverman argued that Snyder did not "fit the mold of an auteur," he is unquestionably an auteur whose approach to the dc comics genre is similar to Christopher Nolan, who, once again, directed a comic book movie portraying Batman. For example, for their comic book movies, both filmmakers gravitated toward a gloomy atmosphere and a desaturated color palette - a sharp contrast to Marvel's bright and amusing approach currently. In addition, much like Nolan, there's no denying Zack Snyder's brand when it comes to the assembling of comic book movies, with his fondness for slow-motion as well as monochrome.
Second, while reviewers often criticize a lack of creativity and hired guns, one would expect that Snyder's unusual and distinct approach would have made him a critical darling in the same way that Christopher Nolan was. So, why isn't he there? Silverman may have a valid argument here. Snyder as a person does not reflect the taste of Snyder's work, which is tragic if that is why reviewers overlooked him. An artist may be both distinctive and kind at the very same time.
If that's not the case, there must be something else in Snyder's production that has held the critics away. Maybe that "something" will become clearer as fans see yet another new Batman from Matt Reeves, followed by Affleck's Batman under the direction of The Flash's Andy Muschietti.
While Keaton has been wearing the cowl for years, Affleck has only recently played the role in Zack Snyder's Justice League, which was released in 2021. It remains to be seen whether The Flash will be the actor's final appearance as the Caped Crusader; nevertheless, Zack Snyder seems to have moved on to making movies such as Army of the Dead. As fans attempt to comprehend a DC slate without Snyder, some are still trying to figure out why his movies weren't as warmly received by experts as they were by his diehard fans.
Zack Snyder's Kind Personality Hurt Batman v Superman
Former Warner Bros. executive Greg Silverman recently agreed with a tweet saying that the lack of recognition for Snyder's DC flicks is due to reviewers' perceptions of Snyder. Silverman stated in his own tweet:
"I couldn’t agree more. My suspicion always was that Zack’s kindness openness and enthusiasm created an environment for critics to undervalue his work. Because he is a decent approachable humble human, he didn’t fit the mold of an auteur. Shitty. Should be the opposite."
During his time at Warner Bros., Silverman handled not just Batman v Superman and Suicide Squad, but also Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight, which received mostly excellent reviews. While Silverman is certainly familiar with the comic book genre, it's worth remembering that he departed the studio before the premiere of 2017's Justice League, in which Warner Bros. replaced Snyder's project and vision with Joss Whedon's.This flop sparked the fan-led Release of the Snyder Cut effort, which ended in Zack Snyder's Justice League being released on HBO Max in 2021. The buildup to the cut's release also highlighted "Zack's friendliness, openness, and enthusiasm" due to his pleasant connections with fanbase and reporters - a striking contrast to his penchant for melancholy protagonists and high body counts.A Tale of Two DC Directors: Snyder v Nolan
It's hard to claim with confidence that Zack Snyder's personality impacted critics, and to Silverman's part, he did note that his assumption was his opinion. Nonetheless, it's a possibility worth investigating for several reasons.To begin with, while Silverman argued that Snyder did not "fit the mold of an auteur," he is unquestionably an auteur whose approach to the dc comics genre is similar to Christopher Nolan, who, once again, directed a comic book movie portraying Batman. For example, for their comic book movies, both filmmakers gravitated toward a gloomy atmosphere and a desaturated color palette - a sharp contrast to Marvel's bright and amusing approach currently. In addition, much like Nolan, there's no denying Zack Snyder's brand when it comes to the assembling of comic book movies, with his fondness for slow-motion as well as monochrome.
Second, while reviewers often criticize a lack of creativity and hired guns, one would expect that Snyder's unusual and distinct approach would have made him a critical darling in the same way that Christopher Nolan was. So, why isn't he there? Silverman may have a valid argument here. Snyder as a person does not reflect the taste of Snyder's work, which is tragic if that is why reviewers overlooked him. An artist may be both distinctive and kind at the very same time.If that's not the case, there must be something else in Snyder's production that has held the critics away. Maybe that "something" will become clearer as fans see yet another new Batman from Matt Reeves, followed by Affleck's Batman under the direction of The Flash's Andy Muschietti.
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