It seems that after Zack Snyder's Justice League, the WB will be moving on without the director who first worked to bring the DCEU to life. Calls to #RestoretheSnyderVerse are still ringing out online, but this campaign is notably different than #ReleasetheSnyderCut. For one thing, Snyder himself has said he doesn’t have much interest in continuing work on the DCEU. That’s not to say the movement is entirely hopeless, but a direct-to-HBO version of the universe might be the best possible outcome.
Snyder, more or less, controlled the entire direction of the DCEU at its outset. Only after the lackluster critical reception of Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice did the studio begin to show signs of moving away from his vision. When a personal tragedy forced Snyder to leave Justice League mid-production, WB brought in Joss Whedon to finish the job to their exact specifications. The film didn’t do as well as they’d hoped, and the #ReleasetheSnyderCut campaign began immediately.
While WB, with HBO’s partnership, has allowed Snyder to release his version of the film, they’ve maintained that 2017’s Justice League is still DCEU canon. They’ve also been pretty wishy-washy about whether or not the in-canon universe will even continue. Disappointed Snyder fans will always want more of the SnyderVerse. Still, WB would be foolish to skip out on this opportunity to reshape the DCEU.
Vision v Reality
Clearly, Zack Snyder had a specific vision for the DCEU and enough passion to pursue that vision for nearly a decade. His first DC movie was 300. His Watchmen film didn't do quite as well but was still favorably received. After those relative successes, it must have made sense to studio execs to bring Snyder on for the DCEU. They lost track of Snyder's real skill, which is directing, not necessarily storytelling. The reception of his entirely original Sucker Punch should have been a clue.
Snyder, more than any other director, has a powerful sense of what his own fans want to see. Unfortunately, even when that happens to be a good vision, he doesn’t have much ability at getting others on board. "The Death of Superman" is one of the most popular DC stories of all time. Fans have always wanted to see it on the big screen. Snyder forced his way to that moment in his Superman’s second outing. Superman's involvement in Justice League was already being advertised, but Snyder wanted to do the death, so he did.
As a storyteller, Snyder fundamentally misunderstands how narratives work. Yes, big, dramatic moments are the glorious ambrosia that keeps audiences coming back to theaters. But, those moments are only big and dramatic by virtue of being the pay-off for a longer story. Snyder prefers to make films consisting of nothing but climax from opening to credits. At the end of Zack Snyder’s Justice League, the League hasn’t yet been formed, but the film is already showing hints of a Knightmare future.
Dawn of the DCEU
That mode of operation has constrained the DCEU. It has squeezed away room for unique characters or scaled-down plots. Every frame shot has been working towards only the biggest moments in DC comics. If the DCEU is going to become a force to rival the MCU, it needs to refocus on character-centered stories.
Zack Snyder's departure from the DCEU marks this opportunity. Free of the SnyderVerse mandate, the DCEU can finally grow. It needs to do so without simply copying Marvel's lighter tone, as Aquaman and Shazam! were accused of doing. It should also start to move away from the idea of a cinematic universe. DC has just as many, if not more, popular comics characters as Marvel. There are countless plots to explore, and many of them have no interconnections or contradict each other outright. Whereas WB seems to have viewed the lack of a cohesive cinematic universe as a flaw, it could be the DCEU’s greatest strength. The best thing for the DCEU would be to pursue individual stories as aggressively as it pursued the idea of a cinematic universe.
If DC movies become self-contained, then every story DC has ever published is on the table. Joker can exist alongside Shazam! and The Batman. Audiences can freely enjoy them all without the worry of continuity. Fans of particular characters won’t have to do homework, a la the MCU, before going to watch an individual franchise.
This lack of cohesion would also present the opportunity for DC to bring new filmmakers into their world. Here there are already hopeful signs like James Gunn being brought on for The Suicide Squad. Marvel has already learned the benefits of hosting diverse voices, and the DCEU is in an even better position to take advantage there.
So far, the DCEU has committed to copying the least-interesting aspects of the MCU and differentiating itself with a lack of humor and a dark color palette. Snyder's direction narrowed the storytelling capabilities of the DCEU and focused on drama to the detriment of audience enjoyment. His departure is the best opportunity that DC will ever have to expand their universe. Whether or not the DCEU succeeds will depend largely on WB bringing diverse, talented storytellers onto their roster.