Cinematic history is filled with countless compelling 'What-ifs.' What if Will Smith played Neo in The Matrix instead of Keanu Reeves? What if Robert Zemeckis, Ron Howard or Steven Spielberg directed Star Wars: The Phantom Menace? These questions are fun to think about as we ponder what might have been. One of the latest 'What-ifs' that is being shouted to the heavens by many fans is 'What if Zack Snyder had stayed on as a director and main shepherd of Warner Bros. DC Extended Universe?' Many fans want to know how Zack Snyder's vision would have played out and what it would have looked like. We will never know for sure, but DC storyboard artist Jay Oliva has given us an idea, dubbing the five-movie run as "unforgettable":
Responding to a discussion on Twitter about the DC universe films and Zack Snyder's planned story arc for them, Jay Oliva's answer here certainly won't quell the demands of many fans for Warner Bros. to release the Snyder cut of Justice League. These adjectives are enticing and make you wonder just how different Zack Snyder's vision would have been than the current DCEU and what would have made it so unforgettable. Words like mythic and epic were used to describe Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice leading up to its release, and regardless of your feelings about that film, you can definitely see that was the tone Zack Snyder was going for. Jay Oliva's words also make it clear that he was very much in favor of what Zack Snyder wanted to do.
Another thing that is conveyed here is that Jay Oliva found Zack Snyder's planned five-movie run to be joyful. That is interesting because a lack of joy and humor was one of the criticisms of Batman v Superman, with many finding it to be grim and joyless. So perhaps Zack Snyder's arc was not all quite as dreary as that film, and hope and joy became a part of the films later on. That is another thing that is noteworthy: Zack Snyder had a plan. One of the complaints about the DCEU post-Batman v Superman is that there doesn't seem to be an overarching vision or plan. Now whether Zack Snyder's plan would have taken the DCEU into a more critically and commercially successful place is up for debate, but it sounds like the director had already laid out where he want to go.
As with many of these alternate history questions, it would be nice to find out for sure what might have been. Like George Lucas' original sequel trilogy plans, it would just be great to know, for better or worse, where Zack Snyder would have taken the DCEU and its characters, just to sate our curiosity.
Zack Snyder's nextproject is expected to see him stepping out of the superhero realm for the war movie The Last Photograph. As for the DCEU, we have Aquaman directed by James Wan in theaters on December 21. Keep an eye on our guide for all of the upcoming DC movies, and for all the latest in roads not taken, stay tuned to CinemaBlend.
