James Gunn Under Fire From Zack Snyder Fans

Zack Snyder fans are taking to Twitter to let James Gunn know they want their favorite director back making DC movies.

By Matthew Creith | Updated

Recently, news broke that will define DC Studios for a new generation of fans, as director James Gunn as become co-charman and co-CEO of the company. Fans quickly took note of the seat change in power dynamics at the comic book production house known for DC Extended Universe movies like Suicide Squad and 2017’s Justice League. Now, fans have taken to Twitter to appeal to James Gunn to rehire director Zack Snyder by using the hashtag on social media of #bringbackzacksnyder.

Prior to James Gunn’s tenure with DC Studios, Zack Snyder came aboard a new venture to expand DC Comics’ reach into more expansive film adaptations of popular superhero characters. Snyder famously helmed Man of Steel with Henry Cavill in the lead role of Superman, then took on directing duties of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League. His departure from the latter film after the death of his daughter brought a heavy amount of controversy when Joss Whedon came in to replace him, effectively changing much of what Snyder had filmed amidst a cloud of harassment allegations on the part of Whedon from the cast.

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After a string of misfires for the DC Extended Universe films, James Gunn took over the reboot of The Suicide Squad after leaving Marvel, which at the time put rumors to rest that Zack Snyder could be returning. A bonafide hit for DC, The Suicide Squad helped propel Gunn to become a new face on the DC Comics side of filmmaking. However, fans of Zack Snyder’s have been leading a campaign on social media to make sure that Gunn takes note and possibly ask for Snyder to come back in some fashion.

The topic of #bringbackzacksnyder has been trending this week on Twitter, possibly making it hard for James Gunn not to bring Zack Snyder back into the mix of directors at DC Studios. It seems that many fans on social media are extending this new campaign to include other film adaptations they would enjoy Zack Snyder directing, including another go at Green Lantern which initially failed at the box office when it was released in 2011 with Ryan Reynolds in the titular role. According to Rotten Tomatoes, Green Lantern currently ranks with a 26% on its Tomatometer and an Audience Score of 45%, so a reboot under the guidance of a popular director like Zack Snyder wouldn’t be the worst thing.

James Gunn is no stranger to adapting comics to the screen, with his upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 ready to hit theaters early next year. However, Gunn might want to review Twitter and other social media platforms to get a good read on the pulse of DC’s loyal fanbase, and if all goes according to plan, maybe audiences will once again see Zack Snyder’s name at the top of the list of directors in future DC projects.