Zack Snyder's latest Instagram post ignited hopes that he may have a future at DC Studios. Ever since he finally completed Zack Snyder's Justice League for HBO Max, the divisive director has primarily been entangled with Netflix. Snyder developed multiple original movies for the streamer, including Rebel Moon and Army of the Dead, both of which were once intended to spawn larger universes but have since been abandoned. More recently, the filmmaker shot his passion project, a war drama called The Last Photograph, on locations around the world last year.
Director Zack Snyder took to Instagram to share a photo from Paramount Pictures, saying that he is "poking around the back lot in Hollywood as we start work on our new project." That project may not be Zack Snyder's Justice League 2, but the news has drummed up excitement among fans of his DCEU work.
Snyder took last year to shoot a very different movie, The Last Photograph, which he has described as an "intimate war drama" that was shot on a smaller-than-usual budget based on a story from the director himself. The movie still has no studio attached to distribute, but Snyder's next production is already set.
The Man of Steel director is partnering with the UFC on Brawler, starring a fighter who climbs from the streets of LA to championship glory. The martial arts epic has no studio attached, but as Paramount has a seven-year deal to distribute all of the UFC's fighting events, it stands to reason that they may pick up the film.
Snyder's latest comment that he is visiting Paramount as he and his team "start work" on their next project, presumably Brawler, indicates the UFC movie is moving into pre-production and could shoot this year for a 2027/28 release.
As most will be aware, Paramount is in the midst of acquiring Warner Bros. and with it DC Studios, leaving the direction of the blue brand in their hands. That notion has left many hopeful that, with Snyder having been hired for such a major gig at Paramount, he may make his way back to DC after the sale is complete.
Much of the hardcore SnyderVerse fandom has spent recent years praying for the director's return and damning the latest from James Gunn's DCU. That discourse has often become heated on platforms such as X, with the two fanbases warring on topics from box office to critic reviews to comic accuracy.
Of course, Superman director James Gunn is firmly in command of DC Studios and the future of the DCU alongside his co-CEO Peter Safran. Many hardcore fans of Snyder's work have campaigned to fire him, move away from his more joyful, comicbooky take on the DC mythos, and, ideally, Restore the SnyderVerse.
Could Paramount's DC Studios Acquisition Bring Zack Snyder Back to DC?
Much to the dismay of the SnyderVerse fandom, it currently appears that Paramount has every intention of keeping Gunn and Safran at the helm. While anything could happen or shift during Paramount's acquisition of Warner Bros. across the coming months and years, the DCU looks to be safe for now.
For now, it appears James Gunn, Peter Safran, and the ongoing DCU will remain the future of the blue brand, even after the Paramount acquisition kicks in. Even if Warner Bros.' new owners were eager to take things in another direction, it would be surprising if they were looking to resume Zack Snyder's story years later.
Between finishing The Last Photograph and starting Brawler, Snyder is going to be busy on his own projects for some time, but, given his friendship with Gunn, there could be room for him at DC Studios in the future. While Snyder could take the lead on a DCU movie, one also has to wonder if he could finish his Justice League storyline in another medium, such as animation or comics.
Despite having debuted Zack Snyder's Justice League on HBO Max in 2021, the director's complete story and the promised clash with Darkseid remain untold. As years pass, it only becomes less likely that Snyder's saga will ever be finished in live-action, but the filmmaker did confirm on the Happy Sad Confused podcast last year that they have "absolutely talked" about picking it up in another medium.
Regardless, it seems Snyder is currently more than happy working on his own projects, namely The Last Photograph, a passion project that he has had in the pipeline since the mid-2000s and is finally becoming a reality. Fans can only hope that The Last Photograph and Brawler land theatrical releases, as there's no denying that Snyder's epic filmmaking style is one made for the big screen.
