Now that Zack Snyder’s ‘Justice League’ is available to stream on HBO Max and other platforms around the world, we can finally see how different it is from Joss Whedon’s 2017 cut. It did fail to impress the DC studios and here is why.
‘The Snyder Cut’ is Zack Snyder‘s original vision of ‘Justice League’ before he left the project and Warner Bros. Joss Whedon rewrote and reshot it to radically alter the narrative and tone, and it’s almost a completely different movie outside of the basic plot skeleton. Because of the constant demand for Snyder’s version of the film, HBO Max saw an opportunity and gave Snyder $70 million to finish it according to his original vision. So far, it’s earned positive critical and audience reviews, with many audiences voicing surprise at how different the ‘The Snyder Cut’ is.
Highlights —
- No more Zack Snyder-directed DC films?
- Justice League 2?
- So, what does DC’s future look like?
No more Zack Snyder-directed DC films?
Last week, ‘Justice League Snyder Cut’ was released, fulfilling the hopes of DC fans who had been campaigning for it for over two years under the hashtag #ReleaseTheSnyderCut. A vocal minority has set out on a new mission: #RestoreTheSnyderVerse, even before it hit HBO platforms and video-on-demand services around the world. It appears that an encore is unlikely. WarnerMedia, the parent company of Warner Bros., which owns DC, may have caved in to fan demands for ‘The Snyder Cut’ in order to help HBO Max grow, but they don’t appear to be in the mood for any more Zack Snyder-directed DC films.
“We wanted to give Zack the opportunity to complete his vision in a four-hour movie, which is impossible to do in theatres. We’re happy that we have HBO Max to let the rope out as it were and allow the fans to see all four hours of Zack’s vision”,
Warner Bros. chairman and CEO Ann Sarnoff told Variety,
and added later on the topic of #RestoreTheSnyderVerse:
“I appreciate that they love Zack’s work and we are very thankful for his many contributions to DC. We’re just so happy that he could bring his cut of the Justice League to life because that wasn’t in the plan until about a year ago. With that comes the completion of his trilogy. We’re very happy we’ve done this, but we’re very excited about the plans we have”.
‘Justice League 2’?
Snyder had previously stated the same thing. When asked about ‘Justice League 2’, Snyder said a sequel is “very hypothetical” and “something you’ll never see” because ‘The Snyder Cut’ ends on a “massive cliffhanger” That is backed up by Arnoff’s words. This will undoubtedly anger a number of DC fans, who were no doubt hoping that Warner Bros. would relinquish control of the DC Extended Universe to Snyder after the release and positive reception of ‘Justice League Snyder Cut’. Arnoff also addressed the toxicity that exists in some parts of the DC fandom, which includes fans abusing anyone who criticises Snyder’s approach to superheroes and even going after WarnerMedia executives.
Arnoff said,
“We’re not tolerating any of that. That behaviour is reprehensible no matter what franchise you’re talking about or what business you’re talking about. It’s completely unacceptable. I’m very disappointed in the fans that have chosen to go to that negative place with regard to DC, with regard to some of our executives. It’s just disappointing because we want this to be a safe place to be. We want DC to be a fandom that feels safe and inclusive. We want people to be able to speak up for the things they love, but we don’t want it to be a culture of cancelling things that any small faction isn’t happy with. We are not about that. We are about positivity and celebration”.
So, what does DC’s future look like?
Thanks to official reveals and trade reports, we already know quite a bit. Later in 2021, James Gunn’s soft reboot ‘The Suicide Squad’ will be released, followed by ‘The Batman’ starring Robert Pattinson, ‘The Flash’ starring Ezra Miller, and the Jason Moma sequel ‘Aquaman’ 2 in 2022. Another sequel, ‘Shazam!: Fury of the Gods’, will be released in 2023, starring Dwayne Johnson. And, of course, ‘Wonder Woman 3’ is in the works as well. Additionally, HBO Max is developing a number of television series.
“We’ve got an incredible group of creators, television series creators, Max series creators, feature film creators, who are basically broadening the base of the talent that we work with on DC because we’re so excited about the potential to build out the DC multiverse”.
Arnoff added
He also added that there will be “more connective tissue” between films, television, and video games in the future.
Will ‘The Snyder Cut’ ever get another sequel? What’s your view? Let’s know in the comments below.
