It’s a fairly reductive comparison, but it also wouldn’t be too much of a stretch to call Denis Villenueve the thinking man’s Zack Snyder. Both filmmakers are known for their unique visual sensibilities, penchant for world-building, and ability to tell sprawling stories dealing with some of the biggest universal themes on an even bigger canvas—even if they’ve been accused of veering into self-indulgence more than once.
On top of all that, both Snyder and Villenueve had or have a long association with Warner Bros. The architect of the DCEU spent fifteen years under the studio’s employ before his cut of Justice League marked the end of that relationship, while the Sicario director has collaborated with WB on gut-wrenching thriller Prisoners, long-awaited sequel Blade Runner 2049 and, most lately, the lavish adaptation of Frank Herbert’s Dune.
Back when Ben Affleck dropped out of The Batman and the project was looking for a new director, Villenueve’s name came up regularly before Matt Reeves was handed the job. But a new rumor claims that he’s now been offered a DC Films property. Of course, there’s no indication to when these talks were purported to have happened, what the title in question is or whether or not he’s even interested, so the lack of details keeps this firmly in the drawer marked “entirely speculative” for now.
That being said, he’d be a phenomenal choice to tackle an effects-driven superhero story, and his schedule may be clear if that Dune sequel doesn’t end up happening. But as always we’ll have to temper our expectations and wait for more information before getting too hyped at the prospect of Denis Villenueve doing DC.
