Christopher Nolan Says Zack Snyder's Watchmen Was Ahead of Its Time
Zack Snyder's Watchmen, like the comic it's based on, deconstructs the superhero genre. It might have been a bigger hit if it came after superhero movies and their tropes had become more mainstream.
Christopher Nolan was instrumental in recruiting director Zack Snyder for Man of Steel, his third comic book movie. In a new feature on Snyder in The Hollywood Reporter, the Oppenheimer and The Dark Knight director admits that he has more affection for Snyder's second comic book movie -- 2009's Watchmen -- than most probably do. In a brief comment included as part of a larger look at Snyder's career and influence, Nolan said that Watchmen was "ahead of its time," noting that while the movie wasn't a massive hit, it may have performed differently had it come out in a post-MCU cinematic landscape.
Snyder's Rebel Moon series, which already has video games and comic books attached to it, will launch at Netflix soon, and so ahead of the release of the first movie in that series, THR looked back at some of the biggest and most definitive projects in Snyder's career. That's where they got Nolan to chime in.
"I've always believed Watchmen was ahead of its time," Nolan told THR. "The idea of a superhero team, which it so brilliantly subverts, wasn't yet a thing in movies. It would have been fascinating to see it released post-Avengers."
This is a variation on a conversation that fans and critics have had for years. While Watchmen is widely regarded as one of the best American comics ever published, it can be difficult for casual readers to get all of the references and nuances, since so much of the book is reliant on the tropes and traditions of superhero comics. That is not to say that Watchmen doesn't stand on its own, but it certainly has more to say for audience members who can parse the references.
Snyder's Watchmen was the result of decades of attempts to get the comic adapted for the screen. Other filmmakers, including Terry Gilliam and Paul Greengrass, had come and go -- as had writers including Batman's Sam Hamm. It was long considered "unfilmable," until Snyder came along and made a movie that divided fans and critics, but was visually impressive and more closely adapted the source material than prior drafts had been trying for.
Watchmen was one of a number of Snyder's movies -- including Dawn of the Dead, Sucker Punch, and Justice League -- to get extended director's cuts on DVD. You can stream the movie now on Max.
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