'Batman v Superman' News, Spoilers: Director On Which Comic Book Miniseries Influenced Film

By Jackie Villegas, Christian Post Contributor Wednesday, March 23, 2016

In a new interview, "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" director Zack Snyder confirmed that the various nods to "The Dark Knight Returns" in the upcoming superhero film is his way of expressing gratitude to comic book author Frank Miller.

Miller's "The Dark Knight Returns" is a comic book miniseries that consisted of four issues and was released in 1986. Like Snyder's "Dawn of Justice," "The Dark Knight Returns" tells the story of an older Bruce Wayne/Batman, who comes out of retirement to continue fighting crime. In the miniseries, the Dark Knight also goes head-to-head with the Gotham City police force and with the U.S. government. The story ended with the Caped Crusader facing off against the Man of Steel.

Speaking to Black Tree TV, Snyder explained how Miller's take on the iconic superhero changed his whole thinking about superheroes and inspired him to reconnect with the Dark Knight and with comic books in general.

"The thing about 'The Dark Knight Returns' that really inspired me about this movie is that when I read that comic book series in '86, I was floored by it because I felt like it promised me something," Snyder said. "It challenged my fundamental notions of Batman in an amazing way. I was like 'holy s--t, this is something else.'"

Meanwhile, as fans of Batman and Superman all over the world geek out over the fast-approaching release of "Dawn of Justice," Henry Cavill, who plays the Man of Steel in the film, shared that even he has geeked out over Batman.

In an interview with Variety during the film's premiere in New York City on Sunday, March 20, the actor said that he had a fan-boy moment when he first saw Batman (Ben Affleck) on set for the first time.

"I have trouble not geeking out and I was geeking out so much - trying to be cool at the same time, obviously – that I forgot that I was dressed in the Superman costume," he told Variety.

"Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" drops Friday, March 25.