The Tumultuous History Behind ‘Zack Snyder’s Justice League’

Warner Bros. and DC Films are officially going along with Zack Snyder’s bid to release his full cut of “Justice League,” without a single shot from replacement director Joss Whedon in its frames (not to mention $30 million worth of touch-ups.).

Yes, the Snyder Cut is real and it’s coming to a TV screen near you as it is set for an HBO Max premiere next month. The full trailer for Snyder’s cut was revealed this afternoon and it feels very Snyder-esque.

Featuring  the director’s knack for ultra slow-mo shots, this will no doubt result in a 4-hour wet dream for Snyder afficianados (that’s right, the movie clocks in at an astounding 240 minutes). However, knowing full well that the non-Snyder-fanatic mainstream may not want to sit down for that lengthy a time, HBO Max has decided to split it and air four separate 60 minute installments/episodes of the film.

“Justice League” had a troubled production. During filming, not only were there severe rewrites, but Warner Brothers was unsatisfied with how the film was shaping up under Snyder. It didn’t help that Snyder’s just-released “Batman v Superman” was getting terrible reviews. The studio then sneakily hired Whedon as a writer on the rewrites only to then promote him as the new director on the film when shooting had already wrapped and Snyder had to step down from post-production due to the tragic death of his daughter.

Whedon‘s extensive reshoots on “Justice League” no doubt clashed with Snyder‘s original vision. Among the changes, Jesse Eisenberg‘s return as Lex Luthor was reportedly axed, and Gal Gadot‘s Wonder Woman got more screentime from Whedon after the success, that same year, of “Wonder Woman”. It’s not just the characters, the overall mood was rumored to get a lighter makeover, with Whedon deviating away from Snyder’s darker palettes for a more colorful Avengers-esque tone.

“Justice League,” in short, was the clashing of two visions and you could justifiably see that while watching the film. Sure there still was Zack Snyder’s use of ultra slow-mo, the dark interiors and exteriors he so loves to use, and his penchant for the camera zooming in and out of action sequences, but Whedon crashed the party by pulling back on some of that, so much so that as you were watching the movie you could tell exactly who shot what. The styles of these two directors couldn’t be more different, resulting in a messy and inconsistent “Justice League.”

The mixed response to the film was expected, however, while “Justice League” currently sits at 37% on Rotten Tomatoes, most DCEU fans seemed to like it. The film’s CinemaScore was a solid B+ and its 7.4 IMDB rating fairly strong for a DCEU movie that was supposed to be disastrous according to critics and Synder fanatics.

Meanwhile, fans railled behind an online petition demanding the release of Zack Snyder’s original cut. The film’s DP also added his voice to the mix, hoping to see Snyder’s fully realized film one day hit the screen.

Snyder’s son, Jett, spoke up as well, pointing out the flaws he saw in the Whedon version and the unfairness of the WB  “meddling” with his dad’s vision. Posting on Vero, Jett wrote:

“On a more serious note, I did enjoy the movie, although it is clearly not what it could have been due to the meddling of Warner Brothers and the forced comedy. The runtime was my biggest gripe with the movie, with events that should take a long time over in a flash;$ but still definitely a fun movie to watch, and would recommend it.”

Aquaman himself, Jason Momoa, also chimed in. Asked by MTV News if he would like to see the “Snyder cut” and or if it even exists— Momoa was, shall we say, unrestrained in his response:

“I’m obsessed with [the idea of the Snyder cut] too, yeahs I mean, that’s one thing that sucks in our business where you can’t speak your mind,” he said, and then he just vented out the frustration that most DCEU fans have had ever since the rumored director's cut has been known, “Yeah! Fuck yeah, I want to see it.”

As much as Whedon’s flair for humor works in most of his films, it seemed out of place in “Justice League,” in which, before leaving the production, Snyder set a darker tone to its frames. Jett isn’t wrong in saying the full vision wasn’t seen on-screen; the film was originally much longer than its 121 minute running time. And so, the calls for a director’s cut grew louder with each passing day, with even the film’s stuntman Richard Cetrone weighing in, sharing the online petition on Facebook along with the following comments:

“It remains to be seen if Warner Bros. will fulfill the request from fans or if Snyder will be given the keys back to the movie he, unfortunately, had to leave due to a personal tragedy. But one thing is clear: fans would warmly embrace a version of “Justice League” that’s pure Snyder.”

The budget to finish this cut of the film is estimated to have cost Warner Brothers $70 million. And that’s with very few new scenes actually shot by Snyder. Just as an example, DCEU title “Shazam” had a total budget of $90 million. Snyder also cut this “Justice League” from Whedon’s 2.39:1 anamorphic to what looks like 1.37:1 spherical. It’s a more cinematic look and goes along with the look of the director’s other films which is include “300” and “Dawn of the Dead.”

“Zack Snyder’s Justice League” starts streaming March 18th exclusively on HBO Max.