One doesn’t normally associate Christopher Nolan with Zack Snyder. The filmmakers are vastly different and comparing them would be akin to mixing water with oil or asking Martin Scorsese his thoughts on Marvel films – simply a bad idea. 

Therefore, it was surprising when Nolan doled out praise for Snyder’s mark on modern sci-fi cinema. In a profile for The Atlantic, he said, “There’s no superhero science-fiction film coming out these days where I don’t see some influence of Zack. When you watch a Zack Snyder film, you see and feel his love for the potential of cinema. The potential of it to be fantastical, to be heightened in its reality, but to move you and to excite you.”

Nolan’s admiration of Snyder may be shocking to some, but they’ve been friends for more than a decade – dating back to Nolan’s time as producer on Man of Steel (2013). Moreover, Nolan along with screenwriter David S. Goyer (Dark Night films), actually devised the story that inspired Snyder’s superhero screenplay. 

Furthermore, Nolan has expressed his creative awe for Snyder in the past – saying he regarded Watchmen (2009) as “ahead of its time” and would have delighted to see it released “post-Avengers.”

Compliments are always nice to hear, and Snyder must feel pretty good receiving them from one of the greatest living filmmakers.