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SYFY WIRE Zack Snyder

Watch: Zack Snyder gives Stephen Colbert's Late Show the 'Snyder Cut' treatment with zombies, a Joker cameo

By Matthew Jackson
Last Show Colbert Snyder

Zack Snyder's been pretty busy over the past couple of years making his zombie heist epic Army of the Dead and conducting reshoots and recuts to put together his four-hour cut of Justice League for an eager HBO Max audience. But that didn't stop the director from adding yet another massive project to his busy schedule: A complete reinvention of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

Yes, while in the midst of promoting Army of the Dead, Snyder stopped by The Late Show and took Colbert up on his offer to completely retool the show in the Snyder style. After praising everything from Snyder's "dark, gritty" style to his "gritty darkness," Colbert put himself completely in the visionary director's hands, and Snyder got to work. Over the course of a 10-minute segment, The Late Show revealed what that work looked like, beginning with construction of a complete green screen environment for Colbert that Snyder's team could turn into a whole digital world.

"This desk I'm at right here is $80 million dollars more than my actual desk, but it can instantly transform into anything," Colbert said.

With the digital wizardry in place, it was time to get Colbert to function as a Snyder character, which meant a lot of his levity had to immediately go, and Snyder knew just what to do to take the host to that dark place.

"Keep in mind your family is trapped under an overturned tank," Snyder said while directing Colbert.

Check out more of the changes Snyder made, from slow-motion to lighting to more slow-motion, to zombies, in the video below. All that's missing is a needle drop of "Hallelujah." 

Given the kinds of films he makes, it's often easy to put Snyder in a box of self-seriousness as a director even when he's making something lighter like Army of the Dead, so it's nice to see the filmmaker himself willing to poke a little fun at his own image. The Colbert segment covers everything from Snyder's love of CGI environments to his obsession with fitness to his love of all things slow-motion, and the director gamely plays along.

Plus, Jon Batiste makes a hilariously scary zombie. Maybe he can pop up in the Army of the Dead sequel?