As should be old news by now, 2017’s release of Justice League, was met with widespread disapproval. This was the case with both fans and film critics alike. It was a monumental disappointment especially for the DC comic fans who were waiting for a competent counterpart to the successful films of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
This disappointment however, was no more painful to anyone like it was to the man originally at the helm, Zack Snyder. That pain was driven home when his wife Deborah (who works with him on the franchise as producer), and Christopher Nolan sat down for a screening of the film, and later urged him not to see it.
“Because I knew it would break his heart,” she said.
According to Vanity Fair, his wife elaborates afterward:
“It was just… It’s a weird experience… I don’t know how many people have that experience. You’ve worked on something for a long time, and then you leave, and then you see what happened to it.”
As it stands today, Snyder has never seen Whedon’s cut of The Justice League.
On March 2017, with production of Justice League well underway, Snyder had to bow out in the middle of it, due to his daughter’s suicide. Joss Whedon, who had previously directed the first two Avengers movies, was hired to take over the director’s chair.
This resulted in massive re-writes, and reshoots that’s went well beyond a simple continuation of Snyder’s work and vision.
The end of that experiment, was an overwhelming let down, but it was not all. Whedon spent the promotional seasons constantly snarking at the project, which must have left more than a few awkward feelings amongst the cast and crew.
Additionally, stories broke with recollections of Whedon’s abusive behavior, most notably by Ray Fisher, who plays Cyborg on the film.
With the dissatisfaction felt by the fans, a #releasethesnydercut campaign was launched, and with somewhat of a latent wink-and-a-nod from Snyder himself, it gained steam. As is no news by now, the campaign has been successful, as Snyder returned to finish the project. Snyder is also keeping creative control by foregoing any payment.
Justice League (The Snyder Cut) is scheduled to be released on March 18, 2021. The four hour long movie (and yes, featuring a black-clad Superman), is set to be released on HBO Max, with several other release plans still in the works.
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