Christopher Nolan is a fan of Zack Snyder’s Watchmen.
In The Hollywood Reporter’s recent profile of Zack Snyder, Nolan revealed himself to be a big fan of Snyder’s Watchmen, which was released in 2009 — a time when the Marvel Cinematic Universe (and superhero movies in general) were just starting to catch mainstream attention from the moviegoing public.
“I’ve always believed Watchmen was ahead of its time,” Nolan said in an email. “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.”
Snyder also said that he considers Nolan to be his “only close director friend” and the two talk on the phone about once a month. Snyder was one of the few filmmakers (along with Paul Thomas Anderson, Todd Phillips, and Denis Villeneuve) who got an early look at Nolan’s Oppenheimer when it was shown at Universal City IMAX earlier this year.
What is Zack Snyder’s Watchmen about?
An adaptation of the 1986-87 DC Comics limited series of the same name created by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons, Watchmen hit United States theaters in March 2009. It marked Snyder’s third time directing a feature film, following 2004’s Dawn of the Dead and 2007’s 300.
Watchmen received mixed reviews from critics at the time of its release, though fans praised it for its visual style and deconstructive subject matter. It made approximately $187 million at the global box office on an estimated $130 million budget.
“In an alternate 1985 America, costumed superheroes are part of everyday life,” the synopsis reads. “When one of his former comrades is murdered, masked vigilante Rorschach (Jackie Earle Haley) uncovers a plot to kill and discredit all past and present superheroes. As he reconnects with his retired associates, only one of which has true powers, Rorschach glimpses a far-reaching conspiracy involving their shared past and catastrophic consequences for the world’s future.”
Watchmen is currently streaming on Prime Video and Max.
