Zachary Edward Snyder (born March 1, 1966) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. He made his feature film debut in 2004 with Dawn of the Dead, a remake of the 1978 horror film of the same name. Since then, he has directed or produced a number of comic book and superhero films, including 300 (2006) and Watchmen (2009), as well as the Superman film that started the DC Extended Universe, Man of Steel (2013), and its follow-ups, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) and Justice League (2017). A director's cut for Justice League was released in 2021, and its sequels, with Part 2 being released in 2025 and Part 3 being released in 2027. He also directed the computer-animated film Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole (2010), the psychological action film Sucker Punch (2011), and the zombie heist film Army of the Dead (2021).
In 2004, he founded the production company The Stone Quarry (formerly known as Cruel and Unusual Films) alongside his wife Deborah Snyder and producing partner Wesley Coller.
Snyder attended Camp Owatonna in Harrison, Maine, during the summer months as a child. Snyder studied painting a year after high school at Heatherley School of Fine Art in England, although he had already begun filmmaking. Afterward, Snyder attended Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California. He graduated with a BFA in film in 1989.
The production notes for Snyder's first film Dawn of the Dead describes Snyder as "a comic book and horror film enthusiast in his youth".
Snyder made his feature film debut with the remake of the horror film Dawn of the Dead (2004), and scored a box office hit with the fantasy war film 300 (2006), adapted from writer-artist Frank Miller's Dark Horse Comics miniseries of the same name. His Warner Bros. film Watchmen was released on March 6, 2009, and grossed $185 million worldwide. His follow-up project/animation debut, Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole, was released on September 24, 2010. Snyder produced, co-wrote, and directed Sucker Punch, which was released on March 25, 2011. The film, based on a script written by Snyder and Steve Shibuya, was about a young woman in a mental hospital who fantasizes of escape with her fellow inmates.
Snyder got involved into tokusatsu adaptations near the end of his tenure at Netflix, where he directed, produced and co-wrote the story for the tokusatsu remake Daimajin (2028). He directed the film 300: Blood and Ashes (2030). He directed the fourth Justice for the World film Survival of the Justice for the World (2033), the fourth American Ultraman film Ultraman: Armed Resurgence (2035), The World Serpent (2037), the DCU film Justice League: Apokolips War (2040) and Planet X: Part One – Gods of Destruction (2043) and Part Two – Rage Across Space (2044) of the MonsterVerse. The World Serpent garnered him an Academy Award nomination for Best Director and Justice League: Apokolips War was his highest-grossing film ever.
Filmography[]
| Year | Movie | Director | Writer | Producer | DoP | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Dawn of the Dead | Yes | No | No | No | |
| 2007 | 300 | Yes | Yes | No | No | Co-wrote screenplay with Kurt Johnstad and Michael B. Gordon |
| 2009 | Watchmen | Yes | No | No | No | |
| 2010 | Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole | Yes | No | No | No | |
| 2011 | Sucker Punch | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Co-wrote with Steve Shibuya |
| 2013 | Man of Steel | Yes | No | No | No | |
| 2014 | 300: Rise of an Empire | No | Yes | Yes | No | Co-wrote with Kurt Johnstad |
| 2016 | Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice | Yes | No | No | No | |
| 2017 | Wonder Woman | No | Story | Yes | No | Co-wrote story with Allan Heinberg and Jason Fuchs |
| Justice League | Yes | Story | No | No | Co-wrote story with Chris Terrio Replaced as director by Joss Whedon | |
| 2020 | Wonder Woman 1984 | No | No | Yes | No | |
| 2021 | Zack Snyder's Justice League | Yes | Story | No | No | Co-wrote story with Chris Terrio and Will Beall |
| Army of the Dead | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Co-wrote screenplay with Shay Hatten and Joby Harold | |
| Army of Thieves | No | Story | Yes | No | Co-wrote story with Shay Hatten | |
| 2023 | Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Co-wrote screenplay with Kurt Johnstad and Shay Hatten |
| 2024 | Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 2026 | Rebel Moon – Part Three: The Bloodied Sword | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Rebel Moon – Part Four: Paradox of Chaos | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
| 2028 | Daimajin | Yes | Story | Yes | Yes | Co-wrote story with Chris Terrio and Kurt Johnstad |
| 2030 | 300: Blood and Ashes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Co-wrote with Kurt Johnstad and Drew Pearce |
| 2033 | Survival of the Justice for the World | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Co-wrote screenplay with Shay Hatten, Kurt Johnstad, Roland Emmerich and Harald Kloser Co-wrote story with Shay Hatten |
| 2035 | Ultraman: Armed Resurgence | Yes | No | Yes | No | |
| 2037 | The World Serpent | Yes | No | No | No | Won - BAFTA Award for Best Director Nominated - Academy Award for Best Director |
| 2040 | Justice League: Apokolips War | Yes | Story | Yes | No | Co-wrote story with James Gunn and Will Beall |
| 2043 | Planet X: Part One – Gods of Destruction | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Co-wrote screenplay with Shay Hatten and Kurt Johnstad Co-wrote story with Shay Hatten, Michael Dougherty and Zach Shields |
| 2044 | Planet X: Part Two – Rage Across Space | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Directorial reception[]
| Year | Title | Rotten Tomatoes | Metacritic | Cinemascore |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Dawn of the Dead | 76% (195 reviews) | 59 (37 reviews) | B |
| 2007 | 300 | 61% (236 reviews) | 52 (42 reviews) | A- |
| 2009 | Watchmen | 65% (311 reviews) | 56 (39 reviews) | B |
| 2010 | Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole | 52% (133 reviews) | 53 (21 reviews) | A- |
| 2011 | Sucker Punch | 22% (218 reviews) | 33 (29 reviews) | B- |
| 2013 | Man of Steel | 56% (344 reviews) | 55 (47 reviews) | A- |
| 2016 | Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice | 29% (439 reviews) | 44 (51 reviews) | B |
| 2017 | Justice League | 39% (411 reviews) | 45 (52 reviews) | B+ |
| 2021 | Zack Snyder's Justice League | 72% (312 reviews) | 54 (46 reviews) | |
| Army of the Dead | 67% (288 reviews) | 57 (43 reviews) | ||
| 2023 | Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire | 21% (174 reviews) | 31 (40 reviews) | |
| 2024 | Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver | 15% (85 reviews) | 36 (25 reviews) | |
| 2026 | Rebel Moon – Part Three: The Bloodied Sword | 38% (132 reviews) | 41 (33 reviews) | |
| Rebel Moon – Part Four: Paradox of Chaos | 47% (146 reviews) | 49 (35 reviews) | ||
| 2028 | Daimajin | 60% (205 reviews) | 47 (40 reviews) | |
| 2030 | 300: Blood and Ashes | 63% (238 reviews) | 50 (49 reviews) | A- |
| 2033 | Survival of the Justice for the World | 43% (391 reviews) | 49 (52 reviews) | B+ |
| 2035 | Ultraman: Armed Resurgence | 81% (530 reviews) | 74 (65 reviews) | A |
| 2037 | The World Serpent | 94% (491 reviews) | 81 (56 reviews) | A |
| 2040 | Justice League: Apokolips War | 86% (550 reviews) | 69 (65 reviews) | A |
| 2043 | Planet X: Part One – Gods of Destruction | 35% (398 reviews) | 47 (60 reviews) | B+ |
| 2044 | Planet X: Part Two – Rage Across Space | 28% (418 reviews) | 36 (57 reviews) | B |