Zack Snyder still wants to make a movie adaptation of The Dark Knight Returns, if anyone would let him make it outside the DC Universe. The filmmaker sees Frank Miller’s 1986 graphic novel as the right story for a moment when audiences have grown tired of the superhero movie formula. His comments also show that the project remains one of the rare comic book films that still has his attention.

For Snyder, the connection to The Dark Knight Returns goes much deeper than the Batman imagery in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Snyder has also talked for years about making a separate, more faithful adaptation, including a version that would stand on its own rather than continue the DC continuity.

While promoting The Last Photograph, Zack Snyder spoke to Variety about the project and why he believes the timing could finally make sense. He connected the idea directly to his earlier adaptation of Watchmen, arguing that the two graphic novels bookend a particular period of superhero storytelling.

“If anyone would ever let me do it outside of the DC Universe….'Watchmen' came at the beginning of the superhero movie phase, so it would be super fitting to have 'The Dark Knight Returns' come now…but we’re down the road of the superhero movie genre, and I think audiences would understand the why of it,” Snyder said.

As per Variety, the idea has been part of Snyder’s thinking for years. In 2020, he described himself as obsessed with the comic and imagined making a standalone film about an older Batman. A year later, he called the project his “white whale” and said he would approach it in a Watchmen-style, frame-accurate way. In 2023, he again said he would consider returning to DC if he could make a true representation of Miller’s graphic novel.

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Snyder has a lot of doors open and not just for The Dark Knight Returns.

Zack Snyder’s answer about Batman came during a wider conversation about the films he still wants to make after finally bringing The Last Photograph to the screen, even though the film received massive backlash. That project itself has been a long-running part of his career, dating back to the mid-2000s before its story and development changed over the years. The film finally premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2026 after years of delays and changes.

Asked whether he still wanted to make a Rick and Morty movie, Snyder said that he did. He also revealed that he has spent years trying to turn The Fountainhead into either a movie or television series because of the length of the novel. 

“I do want to make a “Rick and Morty” movie. It would be fun. For the longest time, I’ve been trying to make “The Fountainhead” into a movie or into TV show because it’s too long. I’ve written it,” he shared.  

For now, The Dark Knight Returns remains an idea rather than an announced Snyder film. But after years of Snyder discussing it, the director is clearly still interested in finding a way to bring his version of Miller’s Batman to the screen.

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Would you want to see Zack Snyder make a full The Dark Knight Returns adaptation? Share your thoughts in the comments.