zack snyder

Zack Snyder likes to tweet photos from the set of his movies. They’re usually first looks at cool stuff like costumes and Batmobiles and whatnot. So it wasn’t out of the ordinary for Snyder to tweet something like this yesterday:

Warner Bros. has made plenty of decisions with its DC Cinematic Universe that don’t sit quite right with fans, but credit where credit is due, the casting of J.K. Simmons as Commissioner Gordon is not one of them. Simmons  —  now available in a bulked up version 2.0  —  is one of our generation’s great character actors, the rare talent who can switch from utterly terrifying to kindly paternal in the blink of an eye. Since Batman looks to Gordon as both a hard-boiled police officer and a surrogate father figure, Simmons is the perfect addition to both the standalone Batman movie and the Justice League film.

Over the summer, a report suggested that Warner Bros. had put Man of Steel 2 in “active development,” despite reports in 2015 that the sequel to Zack Snyder’s Superman film had been placed on permanent hold. Warner Bros. has yet to confirm plans for a new standalone Superman sequel, but it looks like someone else just did it for them: Henry Cavill’s manager.

Hard to believe, but production on Justice League, which doesn’t hit theaters until next fall, is already nearing an end — at least according to Zack Snyder, who shared a new photo revealing Batman’s latest costume upgrade. What, you didn’t really think Batman would make another on-screen appearance without getting a fancy new super-suit, did you?

Following Batman v Superman’s underwhelming box office, DC’s Chief Creative Officer Geoff Johns was promoted to the position of creative head for WB’s DC Film franchise, overseeing the studio’s upcoming slate of comic-book movies. In addition to co-writing the new solo Batman film with Ben Affleck, Johns (who recently confirmed Joe Manganiello’s casting as DC villain Deathstroke) is heavily involved with Zack Snyder’s Justice League, and in a new interview, the exec reveals how they’re making some adjustments to address complaints about Snyder’s Dawn of Justice.

Suicide Squad has only been in theaters for a week, but it’s already become a flashpoint for fan discussion. (And yes, that was a DC pun, thank you very much.) Does the movie’s plot make sense? Does it matter? How much of David Ayer’s original vision wound up in the theatrical cut? And maybe the most contentious debate of all: Is the movie better than Warner Bros.’ previous entry in the DC Extended Universe, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice?

Just yesterday, Warner Bros. revealed a new heavy metal logo for Justice League, which — as I pointed out — looked like exactly the sort of thing that Jason Momoa’s Aquaman could get behind. Is Ben Affleck’s Batman recruiting a team of superheroes, or assembling a heavy metal supergroup? Thanks to this new set photo, we have an answer.

In case you were confused about the tone of the DC movie universe, this new Justice League logo should make things perfectly clear: This isn’t your kid’s bright and shiny Marvel Cinematic Universe. Oh, no. This is a heavy metal comic book world where superheroes straight-up SHRED. Can you hear that? It’s the sound of a guitar wailing in the distance, heralding the arrival of heroes in need of a stiff drink and a bar fight.

Despite Zack Snyder’s assertion that Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is basically a sequel to Man of Steel (it’s totally not), fans are still wondering if and when we might see Superman get a proper standalone follow-up. But Warner Bros.’ DC slate is fairly crowded with two Justice League movies and solo films for Wonder Woman, The Flash, Batman, Aquaman and Cyborg. Last we heard, WB put plans for Man of Steel 2 on “permanent hold,” while Snyder and Henry Cavill expressed interest in the sequel if they could find the time for it. And it looks like that time may be approaching.

Today in “news that is hardly surprising,” Zack Snyder directed a scene in Suicide Squad, and no, it wasn’t any of the stuff involving Ben Affleck’s Batman. It was, however, one of the later additions to David Ayer’s super-villain team-up, and it has something to do with that other big DC superhero cameo. Spoilers ahead, obviously — unless you don’t mind that sort of thing.