Zack Snyder responds to “homophobe” accusations by asserting one of his films is “the gayest ever made”
Zack Snyder claims Warner Bros said “no” to his ‘300’ sequel featured a gay “love story” between Alexander the Great and his close friend, Hephaestion. (Getty Images)
Zack Snyder is confronting accusations that he’s a homophobe head on by pointing out that he’s responsible for what he calls “the gayest movie ever made”.
Snyder made the comments while addressing the online backlash around his new film, The Last Photograph, which premiered at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival on 13 September. The film has reportedly debuted to an 18% Rotten Tomatoes score and has been receiving intense criticism online, with some viewers dubbing Snyder a “facist” and a “homophobe” over the film.
In a 15 September Variety interview Zack Snyder discussed the criticism aimed at him and his work, saying: “Obviously I’m pro-gay. I made the gayest movie ever made… 300 is one of the gayest movies ever made. I always go, ‘Look, there are few movies where people come in straight and come out gay, and 300 is one of them.’”
He also compared the reaction to The Last Photograph with the response he said greeted 300 when it screened at the Berlin Film Festival in 2007, describing booing and walkouts and recalling being challenged about his politics and views.
Snyder on the film’s “male-centric” energy
Snyder has previously linked the “gay” reading of 300 to its focus on male bodies, male bonding and what he described as the “reality of Spartan culture”.
During a March 2024 appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience, he said: “Look, 300 in some ways is one of the gayest movies ever made. It is incredibly male-centric, male-obsessed.”
In the same discussion, Snyder added: “It was important to make sure there was a visceral sexuality to the way the men actually interacted. Regardless of whether you acknowledge it, it’s there.”
What is Snyder’s new film ‘The Last Photograph’?
The Last Photograph is a war/thriller film based on an original story by Snyder. Starring Stuart Martin and Fra Fee, it follows a former DEA agent who goes into a South American jungle with a war photographer to get revenge and find his missing niece, leading the harsh landscape to mix with his personal troubles.
Snyder is known for stylised, high-contrast action visuals and graphic-novel adaptations, and has often attracted polarised online debate around his work. As of now, there is no scheduled release date for The Last Photograph.
