Visionary filmmaker Zack Snyder has unveiled his latest Netflix project, Twilight of the Gods, which is his first-ever series and a rare sighting of him working in the animation format. Between 300, Watchmen, and his DC Universe movies films, he has proven himself as a pop culture lightning rod. His recent Netflix collaborations have taken him away from superheroes but still offer tales of power and violence that speak to similar themes as his previous work.

Twilight of the Gods tackles Norse mythology, with gorgeous visuals crafted by Snyder's production company The Stone Quarry and the French studio Xilam Animation. It follows lovebirds Sigrid (a child of giants voiced by Sylvia Hoeks) and Leif (a mortal warrior voiced by Stuart Martin), whose wedding is tragically disrupted by a raging Thor (Pilou Asbæk). He slaughters Sigrid's family in his pursuit of the trickster god Loki (Paterson Joseph), leaving the survivors with no choice but to take their revenge.

Screen Rant interviewed Snyder and Twilight of the Gods executive producer Wesley Coller, who has collaborated with Snyder since 300, about their approach to the world of Norse gods and inspiration for the unique animation style. The duo also discussed what separates Thor and Loki from their popular MCU interactions and shared how far they've gotten with plans for season 2 of the Netflix series, despite not yet being renewed.

Twilight Of The Gods Is Adult Animation In Every Sense Of The Word

Zack Snyder wanted “the adult themes and sexuality to be front and center.”

Screen Rant: First of all, Twilight of the Gods blew my mind. Netflix is killing it with the adult animation right now, between Blue Eye Samurai and Twilight of the Gods. Zack, can you talk to me about the inspiration behind creating the show? I know we've seen Norse mythology throughout a lot of your films, but why have this in animation form?

Zack Snyder: Yeah, when we were talking about doing the animated series and using Norse mythology as the spine, I just thought this was an incredible opportunity because I know how wacky it is and how crazy it is. I said, "This is a great way to introduce people to the real deal of Norse mythology." It's sort of the non-sugar-coated version, so for me, it was a big treat. I just thought this was the perfect format because you can really go for it. Netflix really gave us the big green light to say, "Whatever you guys think! We're not gonna pull punches." And that's what we wanted to do.

Screen Rant: Wesley, there's action and sex in this series, but at its heart is the story between Sigrid and Leif, voiced by Sylvia Hoeks and Stuart Martin. Can you elaborate on the character dynamic and how their relationship drives the story?

Wesley Coller: Yeah, I think it very much is this love story that we get introduced to in the opening. On the battlefield, they've come together and have this common thread of this journey that they're on. But then to have that world turned upside down on the day of their wedding, it puts them on this shared path of vengeance. For me, that driving force is really the engine for the whole show.

Really, what becomes interesting is that — in addition to what the two of them brought to their performances — they then gather this team with who each have their own quest that they're on, some with very similar end goals, and some that intersect partway through. Actually, if they were to obtain their goal before Sigrid and Leif complete what they're doing, it could upend everything. For me, that's the fun of being on this journey. This love story walks a very unsure path, but they can be nothing but sure-footed on this unstable ground.

To the testament of all the talent that we had, the performances they delivered were fantastic. I just love being steeped in this world and being immersed in it.

Zack Snyder: I think one of the cool things about the show is that the relationship between Sigrid and Leif is really tender. He's really, crazy in love with her. It's just a really cool thing to see such a nuanced warrior figure who's willing to take a knee and do whatever just to get through it with her intact. He doesn't give a s--t.

Screen Rant: Zack, you bookend this by directing the first episode of the last episode. How does this push the boundaries of what typically is expected for an animated series, especially in the realm of mythology?

Zack Snyder: I feel like we push it in a bunch of ways. First of all, there's subtlety and beauty in the performances and in the quiet moments of this show. I think the show really sings. But I will also say that we pulled no punches when it comes to the action and the violence and everything. I really wanted the adult themes and sexuality to be front and center with how comfortable they are with their body, with their love, and all that stuff.

The show is always surprising, always immersive, and whenever it turns a corner, you don't know where it's going to go. And I think that, in that way, it is not by any means a typical animated series that you've seen before.

What Separates Twilight Of The Gods’ Thor & Loki From Their MCU Versions

"What kind of story do we want to tell? What sets this story apart from previous experiences with these characters?"

Screen Rant: Wesley, this is a very different version of Thor and Loki than a lot of fans may expect. I know that Marvel popularized those characters, but this is a very different version of them. Tell us a bit about this iteration and how Pilou Asbæk and Paterson Joseph brought these characters to life.

Wesley Coller: I think so many of our experiences with Norse mythology comes from a pop culture perspective, and that was very much my entry point into this world too. But our writers all brought with them this amazing knowledge, and then Zack and Jay [Oliva] obviously have very specific takes as directors. Collectively, we were able to sort of step back and say, "What kind of story do we want to tell? What sets this story apart from previous experiences with these characters?"

We put Thor in the story and anchor him in this position. For Loki, it's easy on a surface level to step back and see him through a villainous lens. But I think that if you really look at what his story is, what he's fighting for, and what he's trying to accomplish — there's an underlying sadness. There's something that I think we can all relate to, and I think that's the most interesting part of a character. Whether it's a hero or a villain or somewhere in between, can I as an audience member connect with that character? Can I understand their plight, even if I don't agree with it?”

I think that was the exciting part about the whole approach to show; not necessarily letting things land in the pop culture column that we've been used to seeing them in.

Zack Snyder: Yeah, he has a lot of trauma, Loki. In a great way, just like we all do. It's like that scene between Sigrid and Loki at the end, where she finds out that he's just doing it to protect his family. She's like, "Oh, s--t. I thought this guy was an a--hole, and now it's me who's the a--hole?"

Screen Rant: I love this animation style. Can you talk about what inspired the look?

Zack Snyder: Yeah, we went on a long dive and very intensive design journey to settle on this look. It was a year in the making, and it was really about embracing as deeply as possible this 2D animated style that we were going for and not to shy away from it. It wasn't one of those things where we were like, "It's 2D, but we'll do our best to render a 3D vibe." We wanted to be all in.

I think that when everyone finally drank the Kool-Aid of just being pure 2D, that's when we finally landed on this look. I think this style is really sensuous and mythological, which is really hard [to achieve].

Will There Be Twilight Of The Gods Season 2?

Zack Snyder confirms the show hasn’t been renewed yet, but he knows where he wants to go next.

Screen Rant: I'm not going to lie to you, I wanted episode 9 after the finale's last scenes. Are there any talks about season 2 already? Have you talked about which other realms you want to explore?

Zack Snyder: We definitely are talking about it. We know what we want to do, and we're all excited about a potential season 2, so we'll see. Of course, [we've talked about it]. We're well on our way, so we'll see what happens.

More About Twilight Of The Gods Season 1

Zack Snyder presents Twilight of the Gods, an all-new daring and spectacular animated vision of Norse mythology. In a mythical world of great battles, great deeds, and great despair, a mortal King named Leif is saved on the battlefield by Sigrid, an iron-willed warrior with whom he falls in love. On their wedding night, Sigris and Leif survive a wrath of terror from Thor, which sets them - and a crew of crusaders - on an against-all-odds and merciless mission for vengeance. This heroic story of love, loss, and revenge is a journey to Hell and beyond, across fantastical lands, battlefields fierce and bloody, and wars waged against Gods and demons.

Check out our previous interviews with Zack Snyder here:

• Army of the Dead
• Army of Thieves
• Rebel Moon Part 1
• Rebel Moon Part 2

All 8 episodes of Twiight of the Gods are now available to stream on Netflix.