Zack Snyder is not backing down. After his new film The Last Photograph premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) on September 13, 2026, the director found himself facing a fresh wave of online attacks, including accusations of fascism, homophobia, and misogyny. Instead of staying quiet, Snyder sat down with Variety the very next morning and addressed every single claim head-on, with his trademark mix of honesty and sharp humor.
Snyder Responds to Fascist and Homophobic Labels
The online discourse around The Last Photograph turned ugly fast. Snyder told Variety that his X feed was flooded with extreme comments, ranging from “I want to kill Zack Snyder” to “Zack Snyder is a fascist” and “Zack Snyder is a homophobe.” Some even called him bisexual, which he found more amusing than offensive.
“It’s ‘homoerotic’ and ‘transphobic’ and ‘fascist’ and all these things,” Snyder said.
The director pointed out that this is not the first time he has faced such accusations. When 300 premiered at the Berlin Film Festival years ago, the reaction was eerily similar. Audiences booed, walked out, and labeled the film “fascist.” At the press conference that followed, a journalist asked him point-blank whether he was “pro-gay or pro-NRA.”
“Look, I’ll be honest: I’m a tiny bit of both,” Snyder recalled saying. “But obviously I’m pro-gay. I made the gayest movie ever made.”
The Gayest Movie Ever Made Comment Explained
Snyder was not talking about The Last Photograph when he made that remark. He was referring to 300, his 2006 blockbuster about the Battle of Thermopylae. The director has long maintained that the film, with its heavily muscular, shirtless Spartan warriors, carries an unmistakably homoerotic charge.
“‘300’ is one of the gayest movies ever made,” Snyder told Variety. “I always go, ‘Look, there are few movies where people come in straight and come out gay, and ‘300’ is one of them.’”
This is not a new stance for Snyder. He has previously said that 300 is “incredibly male-centric, male-obsessed,” and he has even discussed plans for a 300 television series that would feature more overt homoerotic elements.
The Last Photograph Faces Brutal Reviews at TIFF
The film itself has been met with a divided response. The Last Photograph is a revenge thriller starring Stuart Martin as a former DEA operative who travels to South America to find his kidnapped niece and nephew after his brother and sister-in-law are murdered. He is joined by Fra Fee as a drug-addicted war photographer who witnessed the killings.
Reviews from TIFF have been harsh. The Hollywood Reporter called it a “leaden misfire” with “pretentious symbolism” and “vapid dialogue.” ScreenRant described it as Snyder’s “worst-ever movie,” criticizing its pacing and self-seriousness. The Playlist labeled it a “hollow, calamitous misfire” and noted that the film is still without a distributor.
“The Last Photograph is dead on arrival; it just doesn’t play,” wrote The Playlist’s review.
Deadline offered a more positive take, calling it “a violent but surprisingly human action drama” and comparing it favorably to Peter Weir’s The Year of Living Dangerously. But the overall critical consensus has been overwhelmingly negative. As of September 2026, the film sits at just 20 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.
What Snyder Says About the Violence and Misogyny Claims
The most common criticism leveled at The Last Photograph is its treatment of women. Critics have pointed to graphic violence against female characters and gratuitous nudity. Snyder rejected the idea that the film is misogynistic.
“I would argue that the violence toward women and men is equal and that nobody is spared — men, women, children, everybody,” he said. “The justice that’s doled out in the movie is in the same way that a hurricane doles out justice.”
He added that the point of the violence is to show that “violence doesn’t work and doesn’t get anything done.”
Snyder Addresses Online Criticism and Prejudgment
Snyder believes much of the backlash comes from people who had already made up their minds before seeing the film. He noted that only 1,200 people were in the theater for the premiere, yet thousands of comments flooded social media.
“There was one I was reading where it was a guy who clipped it and said, ‘I haven’t seen it yet but I’m sure it was horrible,’” Snyder said.
He acknowledged that his name attracts a certain kind of clickable outrage.
“With me, it’s more clickable to say, ‘I hate Zack Snyder! He’s a fascist!’ than it is to say, ‘I saw the movie and it was cool.’ Nobody gives a fuck about that.”
The Film Still Has No Distributor
The Last Photograph was made independently, with no studio or streaming platform backing it. Snyder shot the film in just 32 days, mostly in Colombia, and served as his own cinematographer. The film premiered at TIFF as an acquisition title, meaning Snyder and his team are still looking for a buyer to release or stream it.
As of September 2026, no distribution deal has been announced. The film’s only public screening at TIFF was its world premiere on September 13. Snyder even joked before the screening that it might be the only time the film is ever shown.
Snyder on Losing the DC Universe and Moving Forward
In the same interview, Snyder opened up about losing control of the DC superhero universe after the death of his daughter Autumn in 2017. He and his wife Deborah Snyder left Justice League during post-production, and Joss Whedon stepped in to make major changes.
“I’ve never seen it,” Snyder said of Whedon’s version. “There was a point when the movie was released that was a low point for me because the pile-on effect was so insane. Not only did I lose my daughter, but also they’ve released this version of the movie that I had nothing to do with and my name is on a movie that I didn’t make.”
He also revealed that he has not watched James Gunn’s Superman or Supergirl, saying it is “a little bit too personal” and “too soon.”
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What Snyder Is Working on Next
Snyder confirmed that he is currently working on an Escape From New York remake. He also expressed interest in adapting Ayn Rand’s The Fountainhead and a comic book called Dead Samurai, which he described as a zombie apocalypse story set in feudal Japan. A Rick and Morty movie is also on his wish list.
For now, The Last Photograph remains without a release date or distributor. The film’s future depends on whether a buyer steps forward after its polarizing TIFF debut.
Also Read: Zack Snyder to Write and Direct ‘Escape From New York’ Remake for Theaters
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