According to Forbes, Netflix has cancelled Zack Snyder’s Norse mythology animated series Twilight of the Gods after just one season, making it the third major Snyder project to get axed on the platform. This follows the August 2024 cancellation of the entire Army of the Dead universe expansion, which included planned sequels and an anime series. The streaming service also appears to be backing away from Snyder’s proposed $100 million LAPD action film that was previously in development. These cancellations come after Snyder’s Rebel Moon franchise failed to meet expectations despite being given unprecedented creative freedom with four different film cuts. The director’s next project, The Last Photograph, is notably not being produced through Netflix at all.
The Netflix-Snyder Partnership Basically Implodes
Here’s the thing about streaming platforms – they love giving visionary directors big budgets until the numbers don’t work out. And it seems like Snyder’s numbers just haven’t been working out for Netflix. The platform initially gave him incredible leeway: an entire zombie universe, four Rebel Moon films, an animated series, and talks about a massive action movie. But when Rebel Moon landed with a thud critically and probably with audiences too, the calculus changed dramatically.
What’s really telling is that Netflix didn’t just cancel one project – they systematically dismantled Snyder’s entire slate. The Army of the Dead universe expansion got scrapped in August. Rebel Moon’s ambitious follow-ups never materialized beyond some minor tie-ins. Now Twilight of the Gods, which actually had decent Rotten Tomatoes scores, gets the axe despite Netflix’s general animation push. That’s a clear pattern, not just isolated decisions.
Rebel Moon Was The Breaking Point
Let’s be honest – Rebel Moon was Snyder’s big swing, and he missed. The whole “release PG-13 cuts first, then R-rated versions later” strategy was basically trying to recreate the Snyder Cut magic from Justice League. But that only works when people actually care about the original material. When both versions of your film get panned, you can’t manufacture that same enthusiasm.
Netflix gave Snyder everything he wanted: creative control, multiple film iterations, and plans for a massive franchise. But the execution just didn’t connect. The films ranged from “horrible to merely not good” according to Forbes, and when your flagship franchise underperforms that badly, everything else on your slate becomes vulnerable. It’s business, not personal – though for Snyder’s passionate fanbase, it probably feels plenty personal.
So What’s Next For Snyder?
The director is already moving on to The Last Photograph, which interestingly isn’t with Netflix at all. It stars Stuart Martin and Fra Free from Rebel Moon, so he’s sticking with his team. But the bigger question is where Snyder goes from here in terms of studio relationships.
He still has that wildly passionate online fanbase that campaigns for everything he does. But passion doesn’t always translate to mainstream success or streaming numbers. And let’s be real – after the DCEU experience and now this Netflix chapter, what major studio is going to give him another massive cinematic universe to play with? The pattern suggests he might need to scale down his ambitions or find new ways to finance his visions.
The Streaming Reality Check
This situation highlights something important about the streaming era. Platforms will throw money at big names to build franchises, but they’re quicker than traditional studios to pull the plug when things don’t work. Netflix gave Snyder multiple shots across different genres – zombies, sci-fi, animation – and when none of them became breakout hits, they moved on.
It’s a tough lesson for any creator in the streaming age. You might get initial freedom and budget, but you’d better deliver numbers. Snyder’s Netflix era shows that even with a dedicated fanbase and previous blockbuster experience, the streaming algorithms and audience metrics ultimately call the shots. The era of endless second chances might be over, even for directors with Snyder’s profile.
