Director Zack Snyder has been making movies for a long time, and not all of them have been universally enjoyed–with Rebel Moon being the latest of his divisive films. The Justice League and Batman v Superman director understands why people might not enjoy his movies, but can’t get his head around the idea that people extend this to the man himself.
“I remember the last article said, ‘Zack Snyder: Love him or hate him.’ And I’m like, ‘Hate him?!’ I don’t understand. What? It’s a movie,” he said said on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast.
“I have no issue with you not liking the movie. That’s not the question. Who cares? The thing is, you’d hate me? I don’t understand that,” he said.
Part of the reason why people get so worked up about the movies Snyder makes is because of the subjects–mainly superheroes. He said the characters and stories have transcended the pages and the screen and have become a way of life and a religion for some.
“That’s a lifestyle choice for a lot of people. It’s not a movie,” he said. “If I made a romantic comedy, you’d be like, ‘OK, that was fun.’ I love that [fans] feel this passionately. In no way would I criticize that, because I live the same life. For me, it’s morning, noon, and night. For those guys, it’s not just a movie. So you have to, on some level, you have to acknowledge that this is their religion. And they feel strongly about it. The truth is–it’s my religion, too.”
The full interview touches on numerous other subjects, including Snyder’s longstanding desire to make an adaptation of Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns. He said after reading that comic and Watchmen (which he did adapt already), it’s “hard to go back.”
Specifically, Snyder questioned why Batman is not allowed to kill. Snyder said he’d be interested to see Batman go further and show if he can “survive that” as a character. People should have faith in their superheroes, Snyder said. “The characters have not let us down; these myths have not let us down,” he said.
Also during the interview, Snyder said there are additional elements of the Batman character that could be explored. He said Batman is someone who “f*cks and forgets” and is a drunk, because being a playboy is a way for him to deal with the trauma of losing his parents.
Snyder’s next film is Rebel Moon: The Scargiver in April, followed by an R-rated director’s cut of the first Rebel Moon later in the year.
