The SnyderVerse could have included an Atom movie with Zack Snyder’s Justice League actor Ryan Zheng reprising the role. In the original Justice League theatrical cut , Zheng briefly appeared as Ryan Choi, the scientist who becomes the miniature superhero in DC comic book lore. Her scene had been left on the 2017 release’s editing room floor, but was restored by Snyder for the four-hour Snyder Cut that premiered on Thursday.
If Snyder had his way, Zheng would have gotten his Atom spinoff movie too. Speaking about his original plans for the DCEU beyond Justice League , Zack Snyder recently told Entertainment Weekly how one of his pitches was to develop a solo film Atom set in China, but the studio apparently wasn’t. sold on the idea. From the interview:
The opening ending of Snyder Cut is the result of the filmmaker’s original plans to launch a film trilogy. While the sequels were called off, Snyder still wanted to finish the Snyder Cut the way he had always envisioned. In the EW interview, Snyder also said that we would have seen more of Martian Manhunter in the Justice League sequels, with “a few Green Lanterns” and the return of Darkseid. In the end, these are just assumptions, as it’s not planned at Warner Bros. to produce Justice League follow films at the moment.
Perhaps the studio will change their mind based on the success of Zack Snyder’s Justice League . The demand for the Snyder Cut was so high that the premiere caused HBO Max to crash. Many fans were happy with the new images of Jared Leto as Joker, and a social media campaign for #RestoreTheSnyderVerse was launched for Leto to star with Ben Affleck in a Batman vs Joker movie. Considering the success of the original campaign, it doesn’t hurt to give it a try.
A superhero with the ability to shrink and grow his body, different versions of Atom have appeared in DC comics since 1940, although the incarnation of Ryan Choi was introduced in 2006. The character will join the lineup. Justice League of America in the DC Rebirth continuity. Animated versions of Ryan Choi’s Atom have appeared in various DC projects and he was played by Osric Chau in the Arrowverse TV crossover event. Crisis on Infinite Earths .
Joe Manganiello also appears in Zack Snyder’s Justice League as Deathstroke, and it’s possible that Atom the movie could have featured Manganiello in an antagonist role. In DC comics’ Brightest Day in Continuity, Deathstroke murders Ryan Choi along with his new team of Titans, though he’s resurrected in later issues. Given their comic book history, Deathstroke would make a natural villain for Atom if the little superhero got his own movie.
Zack Snyder’s Justice League is now streaming on HBO Max.