Justice League: Frank Miller Breaks Silence on Being Inspiration for Zack Snyder’s DCEU

Frank Miller is the writer and artist behind The Dark Knights Returns, a comics arc most would agree is one of the most popular Batman comics ever created. As such, more often than not, his work is approached for adaptation by film and television executives. That includes Zack Snyder and the team he had working on the over-arching DC Extended Universe at one point or another. While Miller was initially apprehensive about his stories serving as the inspiration for silver screen blockbusters, the legendary comic creator now says it is “great” filmmakers are looking towards his works for inspiration.

“I really gotta say about that-a few years have gone by since all this started, okay? And at first, my reaction was to be very territorial and all that. And now I’ve kind of sat back and with a much deeper breath and longer view on the whole thing and all I can say is: this is great,” Miller said in a recent appearance on The Beard and The Bald Movie Podcast.

He added, “I mean, I came in and I came up with my idea for The Dark Knight Returns and that basically was the big splash I made, which started my whole career going. And since then I’ve seen the two fields collaborate back and forth. I benefited greatly from Dark Knight Returns and so have they and continue to. And it can only be looked at as a healthy relationship.”

As you know by no,w Miller and Snyder have had a pretty solid relationship, even outside of the world of DC Comics. Snyder adapted Miller’s wildly successful 300 graphic novel for the silver screen in 2006. While some of Batman’s actions mimic those of Bruce Wayne in Miller’s comic, Snyder has said as recently as this May he hopes to someday do a full live-action adaptation of the comic.

I think it would just be its own thing,” Snyder told the Happy, Sad, Confused podcast of a Dark Knight Returns story. “I would do it 100 percent Watchmen style. I don’t even think it’d be that expensive, to be honest. It’s pretty gritty.”

Zack Snyder’s Justice League is now streaming on HBO Max and available on home media where copies are sold.

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Cover photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images