Earlier today, Steve interviewed Zack Snyder at the press junket for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and asked about how close the film came to getting the Joker. Here’s the video:

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Snyder responded:

The Joker and The Riddler both came close to being in this movie. We talked about the possibility of putting them in. [Screenwriter] Chris Terrio and I talked about it a lot and felt that their mythological presence is felt in the movie and that’s cool, but I didn’t want to get my eye too far off the ball because I needed to spend the time, frankly, with Batman and Superman to understand the conflict.

It’s interesting that both villains were on the table for the movie. I haven’t seen Batman v Superman, so I don’t know if they would have fit into the present of the story or into flashbacks, but either way, it could have been a major curveball for the DCCU.

For starters, it means that the casting call and the design of the Joker falls to Snyder instead of Suicide Squad helmer David Ayer, and maybe we don’t get Jared Leto to play the Clown Prince of Crime. We would also get the first big screen incarnation of the Riddler since Jim Carrey played the role 21 years ago in Batman Forever.

These are fascinating “What Ifs”, but I understand why the characters didn’t make the final cut. If this is supposed to be a movie about Batman and Superman, you can’t tilt the table too heavily in the Caped Crusader’s favor when it comes to focus. That makes me hopeful about the finished film, and I’m eager to see how it all comes together.

If you missed what Snyder told us about future 300 sequels or which version of Watchmen he prefers, click the links.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice opens March 25th. For more on the film, click on the links below for our recent coverage:

Here’s the official synopsis for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice: