Why Zack Snyder Wants To Make The Dark Knight Returns With Robert De Niro

Zack Snyder's run through the DC Extended Universe was nothing if not divisive. While movies like "Man of Steel" and "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" were roundly attacked by critics, a loyal and dedicated group of fans supported Snyder's vision so much that Warner Bros. eventually agreed to allow him to complete his version of "Justice League."

Though you might think that after this absolute ride of an experience with DC's heroes, the filmmaker would be done with the whole universe, you'd be wrong. "That's my white whale, 'Dark Knight Returns,'" Snyder said in a May 2021 episode of the "Happy Sad Confused" podcast. "That's my Holy Grail. One day!"

Even more surprising may be who Snyder has in mind for the central role of The Caped Crusader. "You know who it is? Howie Long ... I was just thinking of a picture! I don't know if he could play it, but I'm just saying. If you had Howie Long and Robert De Niro, you stick them together." While those two actors may not be the first choices that come to mind when fans imagine this version of Batman, the director was confident in his vision.

"I think probably in their 50s, and they could play in their 60s, early 60s. I think he's still in his late 50s in the comic book," Zack Snyder said of what he'd be looking for. "But still, that's old for knocking around [and] fighting. I always love, also, how big he is in the book." The filmmaker gave a couple of indicators of how large Batman is in the famed comic. "There's that shot where he's carrying [Carrie Kelley], and she's just so small in his arms. You just have to find some big f***ing guy. Who's huge?"

Of course, the obvious response to this idea immediately came up when the director mentioned his dream adaptation. After all, between Batman's bloody bout with Superman and his heavy metal armor, there's plenty of "The Dark Knight Returns" DNA in "Batman v Superman." Still, addressing the concern that he'd already used up too much of the material in his 2016 film, Snyder assured fans that this wasn't the case. "I was like, 'I haven't, I promise you!'" he recalled telling an unnamed associate who approached him with this concern.

As for why Zack Snyder is so confident that he can tackle Frank Miller's beloved graphic novel, he pointed out that he'd already been successful with an even more popular story when he adapted Alan Moore's "Watchmen." "I would just do it 100%, 'Watchmen' style, really frame-accurate. Really do it," he said. "I don't think it would be that expensive, to be honest. I don't think so. It's pretty gritty. But you know, the dialogue in there is just incredible."

Miller's grim and gritty style may be as divisive as Snyder's is, but it was previously adapted into a heavily acclaimed film with the 2005 neo-noir, "Sin City." While the visuals popped in the Robert Rodriguez movie, the first-person narration from its three troubled protagonists provides the heart of the film. The "300" filmmaker praised this element of Miller's style in "The Dark Knight Returns."

"The [voiceover] in that movie is just Frank at his best. That whole, 'The rain on my chest is a baptism,' or whatever." Here, Snyder appears to be referring to the two-part animated adaptation of the legendary Batman tale. Either way, being that the director has two different franchises under his belt at the moment, with "Rebel Moon" and "Army of the Dead," it's unlikely that we'll be seeing a "Dark Knight Returns" adaptation any time soon.