This year has seen the ushering in of a new era in the DC Universe. The DC Extended Universe came to an end in 2023 with the release of Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom, and with the arrival of Creature Commandos for HBO Max subscribers and Superman on the big screen has firmly launched the new DC Universe. It's a big change that compels one to be curious about the reaction of Zack Snyder, a key creative voice behind the DCEU... but he's not fully ready to comment yet. This is because he hasn't actually seen the new blockbuster from James Gunn yet – but his excuse would get the approval of Ma and Pa Kent.
Snyder is currently promoting the new Rebel Moon video game he has developed, and while speaking with Variety early last week, he was asked for his thoughts on Superman (which just had a massive opening weekend). It turns out that the filmmaker missed the film's debut in theaters, but it was because he was committed to family event:
This weekend I don’t think I’m seeing it because I have a horse show — my kids ride horses — but I’m going to try to see it right after that.
It's a touch surprising that Zack Snyder didn't get an invite to see the film prior to its theatrical debut – but if you're wondering if there might be any bad blood here, history would suggest that's not the case. Twenty-one years ago, Snyder and James Gunn collaborated as director and screenwriter in the creation of 2004's acclaimed remake of Dawn Of The Dead, and they've remained in contact as the latter became the co-CEO of DC Studios and began rebooting the brand across film and streaming.
Back in February, James Gunn got some big reactions from the internet with a post on social media featuring him hanging out with Zack Snyder, and more recently, the two filmmakers joined forces for cameos in an episode of Rick And Morty that had them playing versions of themselves.
It's too bad that Zack Snyder hasn't seen Superman yet, but family comes first over movie-going expeditions. He'll hopefully get to see it soon, as it's a terrific cinematic experience – as I note at length in my four-and-a-half star CinemaBlend review.
For those of you curious what Snyder has been up to most recently in his post-DCEU career, you can check out Blood Line: A Rebel Moon Game, which is available to play with a Netflix subscription. And as for Superman, the film is looking to follow up its critically acclaimed arrival on the big screen this past weekend going up against competition from a trio of new releases: the legacyquel I Know What You Did Last Summer, the animated Smurfs reboot, and Ari Aster's dark comedy Eddington starring Joaquin Phoenix.
