Zack Snyder: Batman v Superman is not a ‘Dark Knight Returns’ adaptation

Although the first two Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice trailers show an older, fully armoured Batman taking on Superman in an explosive battle, director Zack Snyder denies the film will be a true adaptation of Frank Miller’s cherished comic series, The Dark Knight Returns.

Snyder told CBR that next year’s superhero showdown borrows visual elements — batman’s bulky armour and Supe’s involvement with the U.S government, to name a few — from Miller’s 1986 comic, but the influence ends there.

“I was talking to Frank about it: Dark Knight Returns was such a big influence on me, that I wanted to to honour him through imagery in the movie. You could still make Dark Knight Returns into a movie, if you want. That’s what I’m saying, as far as how much we used and how much we didn’t use. The visual elements, there are some that I homage, but I don’t think the movie [is an adaptation],” he said.

The Dark Knight Returns revolves around a battle-weary, 55-year-old Bruce Wayne, who decides to don the cape and fight crime once more in a near-future, dystopian Gotham city.