Zack Snyder on Batman v Superman’s R-rated cut, Wonder Woman, and more

Last Updated on July 31, 2021

Even though MAN OF STEEL came first, the upcoming BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE will really serve as our first introduction to what's to come in Warner Bros. new cinematic universe. BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE director Zack Snyder is one of the major players in Warner Bros. grand plan and he, along with wife and producing partner Deborah Snyder, recently spoke with THR about the R-rated cut of BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE, the importance of getting Wonder Woman right, the Marvel vs. DC feud, and more.

Zack Snyder on the upcoming R-rated cut of BATMAN V SUPERMAN:

[The DVD version] is a half-hour longer, and some of that additional material is some of the stuff we took out for the rating. I was like, "Cool, I can put it back in for the director's cut." There was nothing by design. This was the material I just put back in, and then when [the MPAA] looked at it again, they were like, "Oh, now the movie's rated R." And, by the way, it's not a hard R. There's no nudity. There's a little bit of violence. It just tips the scale.

On getting Wonder Woman right:

I felt a personal responsibility to get Wonder Woman right. We’re seeing her for the first time [in film]. She’s such a symbol of women’s roles. She’ll be 75 years old this year, and in every decade she’s existed, she has reflected women of the times. I think it’s only fitting that now, especially with a lot of talk about gender equality, that she really has her rightful place on the silver screen.

On whether Warner Bros ever handed down a mandate calling for a universal tone for all the movies:

The mandate is that we try and make the best movies we can. If you're making a Flash movie with Ezra Miller, it's like millennial Flash. It's going to be a little lighter than making a World War I epic with this feminist icon like Wonder Woman. The films do live in a united universe. I feel like the danger is — and I think that the studio would acknowledge this — when you start to mimic things like tone. Then, when you go to the movie, you pretty much know the experience you're going to have.

On whether the Marvel vs. DC debates annoy him:

No. You have these two giant comic book powers, and it would make sense that they would in some ways be compared to each other. It's like comparing Downton Abbey and Mr. Selfridge. Like Star Wars and Star Trek. Those are things that you could compare, but no one ever does. Those [DC versus Marvel] conversations are fun for the Internet. But in truth, it represents such a small group of people who are actually versed in the difference between DC and Marvel. The average moviegoer doesn’t know. Like my dad would be, “Is Spider-Man ever going to be in any of your films?”

BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE hits theaters on March 25, 2016.