Zack Snyder's Justice League

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Release poster
Zack Snyder's Justice League
Directed by	Zack Snyder
Produced by	Charles Roven Deborah Snyder
Screenplay by	Chris Terrio
Story by	Chris Terrio Zack Snyder Will Beall
Starring	Ben Affleck Henry Cavill Amy Adams Gal Gadot Ray Fisher Jason Momoa Ezra Miller Willem Dafoe Jesse Eisenberg Jeremy Irons Diane Lane Connie Nielsen J. K. Simmons
Music by	Tom Holkenborg
Cinematography by	Fabian Wagner
Studio(s)	Atlas Entertainment The Stone Quarry DC Films
Distributor	HBO Max Warner Bros. Pictures
Language	English
Budget	$70 million

Zack Snyder's Justice League, often referred to as the "Snyder Cut", is the 2021 director's cut of the 2017 American superhero film Justice League. It presents Justice League—the fifth film of the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) and direct sequel to Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice - Ultimate Edition (2016)—as director Zack Snyder intended it before he left the production. Like the theatrical release, Zack Snyder's Justice League follows the DC Comics Justice League—Batman (Ben Affleck), Superman (Henry Cavill), Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot), Cyborg (Ray Fisher), Aquaman (Jason Momoa), and the Flash (Ezra Miller)—as they attempt to save the world from the catastrophic threat of Darkseid (Ray Porter), Steppenwolf (Ciarán Hinds), and their army of Parademons.

Justice League, released by Warner Bros. Pictures in 2017, suffered a difficult production. Its script underwent major changes before and during production between 2016 and 2017. In May 2017, Snyder stepped down during post-production following the death of his daughter, and Joss Whedon was hired to finish the film, completing it as an uncredited director. Whedon oversaw reshoots and other changes that incorporated a brighter tone and more humor, and reduced the runtime significantly in accordance with a mandate from Warner Bros. The theatrical version of Justice League received mixed reviews and was a box office disappointment, leading Warner Bros. to re-evaluate the DCEU's future, and to focus on developing films around individual characters with less regard for a shared narrative.

Many fans expressed interest in an alternate cut more faithful to Snyder's vision, which they and members of the cast and crew nicknamed the "Snyder Cut". Industry insiders considered the release unlikely. However, Warner Bros. decided to move ahead with it in February 2020; in May, Snyder announced that the original cut would be released as Zack Snyder's Justice League via the streaming service HBO Max. It cost around $70 million to complete the visual effects, score, and editing, with new material filmed in October 2020. The release was originally planned as both a six-episode miniseries and a four-hour film, but the miniseries concept was scrapped in January 2021. The film is dedicated to the memory of Snyder's daughter, Autumn.

Zack Snyder's Justice League was released on HBO Max in the United States on March 18, 2021. It became the fourth-most-streamed film debut on the platform that year. Critics considered it to be superior to the 2017 theatrical version, with praise for Snyder's direction, the increased emotional depth, and improved characterization, although the length was criticized.

plot

Five thousand years ago, Darkseid and his Parademon army attempt to conquer Earth using the three Mother Boxes. They are foiled by a coalition of Old Gods, Amazons, Atlanteans, humans, and a Green Lantern, leaving behind the Mother Boxes, which are hidden separately. In the present, the death of Superman triggers the Boxes' reactivation, attracting Steppenwolf, Darkseid's disgraced lieutenant. Steppenwolf aims to regain Darkseid's favor by gathering the boxes to form "The Unity", which would terraform Earth into a copy of Apokolips, their homeworld.

Steppenwolf fights the Amazons on Themyscira and takes the Mother Box guarded by them. Diana Prince receives a warning from the Amazons, then learns about Darkseid's assault on Earth and Steppenwolf, informing Bruce Wayne. The two seek to form a team of metahumans to protect Earth. Having previously failed to recruit Arthur Curry, Bruce locates Barry Allen, while Diana locates Victor Stone. Barry joins while Victor refuses until his father Silas and other S.T.A.R. Labs employees are kidnapped by Parademons seeking the Mother Box the humans hid. Steppenwolf kidnaps and slaughters Atlantean Guards watching over their Mother Box and takes it with only Mera and a reluctant Arthur left to guard it.

The team receives intel from Gotham City Police Commissioner James Gordon, leading them to Steppenwolf's army in an abandoned underwater facility. Although the team rescues the kidnapped employees, the facility is flooded, trapping them until Arthur helps them escape. Victor retrieves the last Mother Box, which he had hidden. He reveals that it was used to rebuild his body after a car accident, explaining that the Boxes can rearrange matter at the will of their masters. The group realizes that they could use the Box to resurrect Clark, though Steppenwolf will inevitably discover it as a result. Meanwhile, Steppenwolf receives a vision of the Anti-Life Equation, a secret power sought by Darkseid to control all of existence, and he informs his master. The team exhumes Clark's body and places it in the amniotic fluid of the genesis chamber in a Kryptonian ship. After Barry activates the Mother Box, an amnesiac Clark Kent is resurrected, attacking the group after Victor's cybernetics targets him in self-defense. Before he can kill Bruce, Lois Lane arrives and calms Clark down, and they go to his family home in Smallville, where he regains his memories. Steppenwolf retrieves the last Mother Box, but not before Silas sacrifices himself to supercharge it with laser heat, allowing Victor to track it.

Without Clark, the five heroes travel to an abandoned Russian city, where Steppenwolf aims to form the Unity. They fight their way through the Parademons, while Clark later arrives and subdues Steppenwolf, but Victor fails to separate the boxes. The Unity is formed, destroying the planet. Barry enters the Speed Force before the shockwave reaches him, reversing time to give Victor the necessary charge that allows him and Superman to separate the Boxes. The team kills Steppenwolf, throwing his body to Darkseid's feet back on Apokolips through a portal. Darkseid vows to return to Earth to complete his quest for the Anti-Life Equation.

After the battle, Bruce, Diana, and Alfred Pennyworth agree to set up a headquarters for the team at Wayne Manor. Barry acquires a job in Central City's police department, Victor is inspired by an audio message left by Silas to use his abilities for good, Arthur goes to see his father, and Clark resumes his double-life as a reporter and Superman.

In the epilogue, Lex Luthor has escaped from Arkham Asylum and is visited by Slade Wilson, to whom Luthor reveals Batman's secret identity. After waking up from a cryptic dream of the future, Bruce receives a visit from Secretary of Defense Calvin Swanwick, who appears to him in his true form as the Martian Manhunter. He thanks Bruce for assembling the team before promising to be in contact to prepare for Darkseid's return.

Cast

• Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne / Batman: A wealthy socialite, the owner of Wayne Enterprises, and co-founder of the Justice League. He dedicates himself to protecting Gotham City from its criminal underworld as a highly trained, masked vigilante equipped with various tools and weapons. Director Zack Snyder described Affleck's Batman as on a path of redemption in Zack Snyder's Justice League, feeling guilty due to his actions in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016).
• Henry Cavill as Kal-El / Clark Kent / Superman: A Kryptonian survivor with superpowers and a journalist for the Daily Planet based in Metropolis. He is the inspiration for the Justice League, which he becomes a member of. In 2018, Cavill described Superman as he appears in Snyder's Justice League as coming closer to completing his character arc that began with Man of Steel (2013) and becoming the "true" Superman as depicted in the comics. Snyder said while he loves the traditional portrayals of the character, he wanted Superman to have a realistic arc and develop as a character, and not be a "one-dimensional Boy Scout".
• Amy Adams as Lois Lane: A reporter with the Daily Planet and the love interest of Clark Kent.
• Gal Gadot as Diana Prince / Wonder Woman: An immortal demigoddess princess and Amazon warrior. She is a co-founder of the Justice League.
• Ray Fisher as Victor Stone / Cyborg: A former college athlete who, after being cybernetically reconstructed after a nearly fatal car accident, is turned into a techno-organic being enhanced by reactive, adaptive biomimetic alien technology. His enhancements include the abilities of flight, variable weaponry and technopathy. Much of Cyborg's character development was removed in the theatrical release, and Snyder described Cyborg as he is depicted in Zack Snyder's Justice League as "the heart of the movie". Similarly, Fisher stated that Cyborg's character arc is emotional and allegorical of "the journey that Black people have taken in [America]". According to Fisher, the only scene of his directed by Snyder which remained in the theatrical cut was that of Cyborg meeting up with Batman and Commissioner Gordon at the Gotham City police rooftop.
• Jason Momoa as Arthur Curry / Aquaman: An Atlantean half-blood with aquatic powers.
• Ezra Miller as Barry Allen / The Flash: A Central City college student pursuing a degree in criminal justice in the hopes of exonerating his father of the murder of his wife, Barry's mother. He is capable of moving at superhuman speeds.
• Willem Dafoe as Nuidis Vulko: An Atlantean who acts as Arthur's mentor.
• Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor: Superman's archenemy and former head of LexCorp. Luthor's appearance at the end of the film was originally intended to tease Affleck's now-reworked The Batman project rather than a potential Justice League sequel.
• Jeremy Irons as Alfred Pennyworth: Bruce Wayne's butler who provides tactical support for Batman and the Justice League.
• Diane Lane as Martha Kent: Clark Kent's adoptive mother.
• Connie Nielsen as Hippolyta: Diana's mother and Queen of the Amazons.
• J. K. Simmons as James Gordon: the Police Commissioner of Gotham City and an ally of Batman.
• Ciarán Hinds as Steppenwolf: A New God military officer from the planet Apokolips who leads an army of Parademons in search of the three Mother Boxes held on Earth. Hinds had previously described Steppenwolf as "old, tired, still trying to get out of his own enslavement to Darkseid". Steppenwolf was redesigned for the new release, bringing his appearance closer to Snyder's original vision prior to studio interference. Previously, Hinds expressed frustration with the theatrical cut, which trimmed down Steppenwolf's backstory and character.
• Ryan Zheng as Ryan Choi: A scientist working at S.T.A.R. Labs, under the leadership of Silas Stone. By the end of the film, Choi is promoted to Director of Nanotechnology at the company. The character was intended to star in a spin-off, with Snyder having pitched a film to the studio. The filmmaker stated that movie would have featured Choi taking up the mantle of The Atom, and taken place in China with a Chinese cast.
• Amber Heard as Mera: An Atlantean who was raised by Arthur Curry's mother, Queen Atlanna. Unlike her appearance in the theatrical version and Aquaman (2018), Heard uses a British accent for Mera in this version of the film, including both old scenes from the original production and the new epilogue.
• Joe Morton as Silas Stone: The father of Victor Stone and the head scientist at S.T.A.R. Labs.
• Lisa Loven Kongsli as Menalippe: Hippolyta's lieutenant and Diana's aunt.
• David Thewlis as Ares: The son of the Olympian Old God Zeus, and the half-brother of Diana Prince. Stuntman Nick McKinless portrays Ares on set, while Thewlis' face is superimposed via the use of special effects.
• Peter Guinness as DeSaad: Darkseid's master enforcer, who acts as a liaison between Steppenwolf and Darkseid.
• Ray Porter as Uxas / Darkseid: A tyrannical New God from Apokolips and Steppenwolf's nephew and master. Darkseid did not appear in the theatrical cut, meaning Zack Snyder's Justice League marks the character's first appearance in a live-action film. Porter played Darkseid through the use of motion capture and "went through a few different vocal gymnastics trying to figure out the voice". Porter was unfamiliar with the Darkseid character upon being cast, but Snyder and screenwriter Chris Terrio helped guide him with their knowledge of the comic book lore.
• Harry Lennix as J'onn J'onzz / Calvin Swanwick / Martian Manhunter: An alien from the planet of Mars capable of shape-shifting and telepathy, who poses on Earth as a human by creating the alias of Calvin Swanwick decades ago. Rising through the ranks to positions of power, Swanwick serves as Secretary of Defense in the US government. Lennix reprises his role from previous DC Extended Universe films. Snyder has said Swanwick was always Martian Manhunter since Man of Steel and he has been guiding Clark, Lois, and mankind as a whole, pushing them to do good as he wants mankind to take action and try protecting Earth first before getting directly involved himself.
• Jared Leto as The Joker: A psychotic criminal and Batman's archenemy, who becomes one of the surviving resistance members in the Knightmare future. Leto reprises his role from Suicide Squad (2016). The Joker was not planned to appear in the original film, but Snyder decided to use him sometime after his new version was greenlit, as it was always Snyder's intention to bring the Joker into his Justice League films. The character was redesigned for the new release.

Karen Bryson portrays Elinore Stone, the late mother of Victor Stone, while Kiersey Clemons portrays Iris West, the love interest of Barry Allen; both actresses' scenes were cut from the theatrical release, and restored for Snyder's version of the film. Other actors reprising their roles from previous DC Extended Universe films include: Eleanor Matsuura as Epione, Samantha Jo (who also played the Kryptonian Car-Vex in Man of Steel) as Euboea, Ann Ogbomo as Philippus, Doutzen Kroes as Venelia, Carla Gugino as the voice of the Kryptonian ship A.I. and Russell Crowe (via archival voice recording) as Jor-El. Uncredited appearances include Robin Wright as Antiope, Billy Crudup as Henry Allen, Kevin Costner (via archival voice recording and still photograph) as Jonathan Kent, and Joe Manganiello as Slade Wilson / Deathstroke. In addition to Thewlis/McKinless playing Ares, Sergi Constance and Aurore Lauzeral portray the roles of other Olympian Old Gods: Zeus and Artemis.^{[non-primary source needed]} Julian Lewis Jones and Francis Magee portray two ancient leaders of Earth including: King Atlan of Atlantis and King Arthur Pendragon of ancient England, respectively. Michael McElhatton appears as the leader of a group of terrorists who clash with Wonder Woman early in the film. Marc McClure, who portrayed Jimmy Olsen in the Christopher Reeve Superman film series, has a brief cameo as Jerry, a police officer who is friends with Lois Lane.

Additionally, Granny Goodness appears via use of computer generated special effects. The character was modeled after the aunt of a Weta artist named Jojo Aguilar. The Green Lanterns featured in the film, including Yalan Gur and Kilowog, also appear through the use of CGI animation special effects. The final scene was originally filmed with John Stewart / Green Lantern portrayed by Wayne T. Carr in Martian Manhunter's place, but Warner Bros. Pictures turned down the idea as they have other plans for the character. Previous variations of the scene that were filmed included combinations of heroes: Kilowog with John Stewart, Kilowog with Tomar-Re, and John Stewart with Martian Manhunter, the first not being filmed but planned to by Snyder before changing Kilowog to Martian Manhunter, the second being scrapped early in post-production back in 2017, and the third being finished/filmed in August 2020. Another iteration shot was Stewart visiting Alfred but was reshot by Snyder to Superman visiting Alfred instead back in 2016. Snyder compromised with the studio, and repurposed/reshot the scene to only include Martian Manhunter in October 2020. He also had to reshoot Ben Affleck's side of the scene as the previously shot footage was unusable due to green lights flashing on Affleck. An early scrapped idea Snyder had was to include Ryan Reynolds, who previously portrayed Hal Jordan in Green Lantern (2011), as an "additional lantern... to fill out the corps a bit". He never spoke to Reynolds about it.

history

production of Justice League

Following the release of Man of Steel (2013), director Zack Snyder outlined the basis of the DC Extended Universe (DCEU), which centered around a five-film arc including Man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016), and a Justice League trilogy. Snyder's original vision was to have Batman v Superman be the darkest in the franchise, and have subsequent films become lighter in tone. However, Batman v Superman was poorly received, with criticism for its dark tone, lack of humor, and slow pace. Distributor Warner Bros. Pictures and Snyder re-evaluated upcoming DCEU films, particularly Suicide Squad (2016), which had already wrapped principal photography, and Justice League, which was a month away from filming. Snyder and screenwriter Chris Terrio rewrote Justice League to be lighter in tone. Cinematographer Fabian Wagner said Snyder wanted to "get away from the stylized, desaturated, super-high contrast looks of other films in the franchise".

Principal photography for Justice League began in April 2016 and wrapped the following December. Months later, multiple cuts of Snyder's Justice League were shown to Warner Bros. executives, in addition to friends and family of Snyder. A final run-time and picture lock were achieved, though the cuts had incomplete visual effects shots and partial audio mixing. Snyder said that he had multiple cuts that were essentially "done", only needing "a few CG tweaks" to complete. Forbes contributor and film screenwriter Mark Hughes reported that Snyder's cut was more than 90% complete, while The Daily Telegraph cited a visual effects expert as estimating that Warner Bros. would need another $30–40 million to finish the film. Warner Bros. executives who saw Snyder's cut felt that Snyder had made significant efforts to lighten the tone following the criticism of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Despite this, Warner Bros. was unhappy with the results and insider reports indicated that it considered the cut "unwatchable".

Joss Whedon's inclusion

After disapproving of Snyder's direction, Warner Bros. hired Joss Whedon, who directed the Marvel Cinematic Universe films The Avengers (2012) and Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), to rewrite the script and help with extensive reshoots. Warner Bros. CEO Kevin Tsujihara mandated that Justice League's length was not to exceed two hours. Warner Bros. also decided not to push back the release date so that executives could keep their annual bonuses and partly due to concerns that parent company AT&T might dissolve the studio after an upcoming merger. Snyder was expected to film the scenes that Whedon re-wrote, and they were working together to meet Warner Bros.'s requests when Snyder's daughter, Autumn Snyder, died in March 2017. Though Snyder was initially open to Whedon rewriting the script, he eventually became more resistant as the studio gave Whedon more directing privileges; but as he and his family were dealing with Autumn's death, Snyder did not challenge it. Snyder continued to work on Justice League for two months to distract himself, before stepping down in May. His wife Deborah Snyder, who was producing Justice League, also left the project.

Whedon assumed full control over the production, although Snyder retained directorial credit. Whedon added nearly 80 pages to the script, and Wagner estimates that Whedon's cut uses only about 10% of the footage that Snyder shot. Composer Tom Holkenborg completed his film score before being replaced by Danny Elfman halfway through post-production. The scenes that Whedon wrote or re-shot for the theatrical release featured a brighter tone and more humor, and reduced the level of violence seen in Snyder's darker direction. To meet the mandated runtime, more than 90 minutes of Snyder's footage was removed, but the result still adhered to the basic outline of the story. While the initial cut was poorly received by test audiences, the early screening of Whedon's cut scored as high as Wonder Woman (2017), so Warner Bros. decided to move forward with it.

release and reception of Justice League

Justice League was released theatrically on November 17, 2017. Critics described it as a "Frankenstein" film, obviously the work of two different directors with competing visions. After seeing Whedon's version in late 2017, Deborah Snyder and executive producer Christopher Nolan advised Snyder to "never see that movie", knowing it would "break his heart". Justice League grossed $657.9 million against an estimated $300 million budget. Against an estimated break-even point of as much as $750 million, Deadline Hollywood reported that the film lost Warner Bros. around $60 million. An anonymous Warner Bros. executive stated in February 2021 that even the studio did not like the "stupefying" changes brought to the finished film, criticizing the Black Clad and the Russian family as goofy and pointless additions to the film. The executive affirmed that the finished film felt "awkward" because the studio did not want to admit what a "piece of shit" it had become. Due to the film's poor performance, Warner Bros. decided to move away from Snyder's vision for a shared universe of interconnected films and focus on standalone films and solo franchises instead.

#ReleaseTheSnyderCut movement

Immediately after the theatrical release of Justice League, which later gained the derisive nickname "Josstice League", fans created an online petition to release the "Snyder Cut" that gained more than 180,000 signatures. The movement, which used the hashtag #ReleaseTheSnyderCut on social media, began before fans had any knowledge that a Snyder cut of Justice League actually existed. The movement was ignited by the theatrical cut's mixed reviews. Fans knew Snyder had left directorial and editorial duties in Whedon's hands; thus, they assumed Whedon created an inferior film. The circumstances have been compared to those of Superman II (1980), whose initial director was also replaced by one who made substantial changes. Some assumed an alternate cut of Justice League was inevitable because some of Snyder's films had been re-released in extended cuts for home media (such as Watchmen (2009) and Batman v Superman), which some critics consider superior to their theatrical versions.

Members of the Justice League cast and crew showing support for the Snyder Cut's release included actors Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot, Jason Momoa, Ciarán Hinds, and Ray Fisher; photographer Clay Enos; storyboard artist Jay Oliva; cinematographer Wagner; and Ben Affleck's stunt double Richard Cetrone. Deborah Snyder said executive producers Christopher Nolan and Emma Thomas encouraged the Snyders to make the Snyder Cut: "I think through this process it's been nice, because outside of Chris, Zack hadn't talked to a lot of people." On the two-year anniversary of the theatrical cut, cast and crew voiced support through social media. Other film- and comic book-industry figures not related to Justice League have also supported the release of a "Snyder Cut", including filmmakers Kevin Smith, Alan Taylor, television producer Steven S. DeKnight, and comic book writers Rob Liefeld, Robert Kirkman, and Jerry Ordway. Other figures were less optimistic. Shawn Robbins, chief analyst for Boxoffice Pro, suggested the size of the movement was too small to make an impact, stating, "another cut of Justice League just doesn't seem to be something many outside the die-hard fan base are clamoring to see". Industry insiders also called the Snyder Cut's release unlikely. Writer Mario F. Robles, based on his industry connections, said Warner Bros. did not trust Snyder's vision and was not willing to spend millions to finish his cut. Throughout the movement, members of the media referred to the Snyder Cut as "fabled" or "mythical".

Members of the #ReleaseTheSnyderCut movement engaged in acts of fan activism to promote it. In June 2018, fans reached out to executives at AT&T following a merger between the company and Warner; in June 2019, they reached out to new Warner Bros. CEO Ann Sarnoff, who replaced Tsujihara after his resignation, following that up a month later with a mass letter-writing campaign; and in July 2019 they reached out to the parent company of Warner Bros., WarnerMedia, after the announcement of its new streaming service HBO Max. Ahead of the 2019 San Diego Comic-Con, a fan launched a crowdfunding campaign with half of the funds to be spent on an advertising campaign (including billboards and a flying banner ad promoting the Snyder Cut), and the other half to be donated to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP). For a similar campaign at the 2019 New York Comic Con, the movement purchased ad space on two billboards over Times Square featuring quotes from members of the cast and crew. In December 2019, the movement rented another flying banner ad, this time passing over Warner Bros. Studios and directly asking Sarnoff to release the Snyder Cut. In January 2020, the movement bought four minutes of ad space advocating for the film's release on a digital banner wrapped around the interior of Riverside Stadium during the FA Cup. Their efforts garnered praise from Snyder and the AFSP. Following the death of director Zack Snyder's daughter and Zack's departure from duties on the theatrical cut of Justice League, parts of the #ReleaseTheSnyderCut movement began campaigns to raise money for suicide prevention. As of February 2, 2021, fans had raised over $500,000 for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, alone. Robert Gebbia, CEO of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, subsequently released a statement commenting that: "The #ReleasetheSnyderCut Movement has created a true community of support and their encouraging messages of hope will go a long way toward helping others know they are not alone."

However, members of the movement have also been described by members of the media as "toxic" for harassing, threatening, and cyberbullying those who expressed contrary opinions about the Snyder Cut. Yohana Desta of Vanity Fair broadly described the act of fans demanding an alternative cut as a "modern pattern of audience demand that is actively making fandoms more toxic", and compared it to the 2017 harassment of Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017) actress Kelly Marie Tran. In September 2018, former DC Entertainment president Diane Nelson deleted her Twitter account after substantial online harassment by members of the movement. Warner Bros. telephone operators, inundated with regular calls about the "Snyder Cut", were trained to treat these inquiries as prank calls. Members of the movement tracked down Justice League stuntman Richard Cetrone to ask him questions about the Snyder Cut, only to digitally alter his response and spread on social media a fake text message that appeared to support their cause.

Brandon Katz of The New York Observer said that the movement was composed of "both toxic DC fans that hurl vitriolic harassment at any and all opposition, and supportive moviegoers that genuinely enjoy Snyder's style and are just hoping to see the conclusion of his trilogy that began with 2013's Man of Steel. As with any contingent, there are both extremists and level-headed individuals in its ranks." Bob Rehak, Swarthmore College Associate Professor and Chair of Film and Media Studies, said that fandoms such as #ReleaseTheSnyderCut revolt when a major change is made to something they love, and that this reaction usually comes from a smaller subsection of the fandom, which "[paints] the whole community with a really broad brush".

revival

In March 2019, after months of speculation, Snyder confirmed his original cut did exist and stated that it was up to Warner Bros. to release it. In November, an insider claimed that Warner Bros. was unlikely to release Snyder's version in any form, calling such hopes a "pipe dream". However, the following month, Snyder posted a photo in his Vero account, showing boxes with tapes labeled "Z.S. J.L Director's cut", with the caption "Is it real? Does it exist? Of course it does." According to Snyder, he initially imagined that his cut would never see a release, but snippets could potentially be included in a documentary. Robert Greenblatt, then-WarnerMedia chairman and head of HBO Max, stated that discussions surrounding the release of Snyder's Justice League began in late 2019, and that they lasted a few months. The studio first approached Snyder to release his cut unfinished as he had left it, but Snyder objected to doing so and insisted on either finishing it or not completing it, leading Warner to take some months to decide whether to proceed. According to Snyder, WarnerMedia decided to move forward with the Snyder Cut in February 2020, after chairman Toby Emmerich acknowledged the #ReleaseTheSnyderCut movement and reached out to Snyder.

The Snyders invited executives from Warner Bros., HBO Max, and DC to their home to view the Snyder Cut. Snyder also presented ideas, which included potentially releasing the cut in episodes. Impressed, the executives decided to let the project proceed. Snyder began to reassemble the film's original post-production team to finish the cut. The effort was almost thwarted by the COVID-19 pandemic, which was escalating around the time, but the Snyders pushed to continue with it. Snyder notified the original cast of the undertaking between April and May 2020; according to Snyder, Fisher was the first person he contacted, but initially thought Snyder was joking. On May 20, 2020, Snyder announced during a Q&A after an online watch party of Man of Steel that his cut of Justice League would be released as Zack Snyder's Justice League on HBO Max in 2021. Greenblatt said WarnerMedia tried to get the news out "as quickly as possible" before HBO Max launched on May 27.

Snyder, who had not yet seen the theatrical cut, described his cut as "an entirely new thing, and, especially talking to those who have seen the released movie, a new experience apart from that movie". The Snyders felt that being able to finally finish Justice League would bring them closure, and were excited by the prospect of expanding the film's character development. At that point, it was unclear what format Zack Snyder's Justice League would take for the release, whether as a four-hour-long film or a six-part miniseries. The Hollywood Reporter wrote that it was expected to cost $20–30 million to complete the visual effects, score, and editing. However, Greenblatt indicated the release would be "wildly expensive" and cost more than the reported $30 million to complete. On June 23, 2020, Sandra Dewey, president of productions and business operations for WarnerMedia, stated in an interview that they are aiming for an "early to mid-2021" release.

additional filming

Initial reports indicated that there would be no new material filmed, as Snyder was not given permission by WarnerMedia. However, on September 23, 2020, it was revealed that Snyder was preparing to shoot additional footage in October. Affleck, Cavill, and Fisher reprised their roles for the shoot. With the cost of the additional shoot, the budget was estimated to have increased to around $70 million. The additional shoots began on October 6. Later that month, Amber Heard, Jared Leto, and Joe Manganiello joined the cast to reprise their DCEU roles as Mera, the Joker, and Deathstroke, respectively. Snyder also directed an additional scene with Miller over Zoom while Miller was filming Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore (2022) in London by sending crew drawings and diagrams of how he wanted the scene to look. Snyder's video feed played through a stand on a table enabling him to direct Miller and the crew, who filmed the scene on his behalf. Snyder stated that only four to five minutes of new footage was shot during additional photography. In 2020, the project was close to collapse due to the coronavirus pandemic in the United States and the high number of infections; however, in early 2021, Deborah Snyder reported that work was moving forward as "post can be done safely at home". In January 2021, Snyder confirmed that work on the cut had been completed.

reactions

The announcement of Zack Snyder's Justice League was celebrated by the #ReleasetheSnyderCut movement, with many fans expressing their enthusiasm on social media. Some Snyder fans uploaded videos of them destroying their DVD and Blu-ray copies of the theatrical cut. Many industry figures, such as cast members of Justice League, expressed their gratitude to the fans who supported the release of Snyder's version of the film. However, some journalists expressed concern that WarnerMedia was conceding to fans who had engaged in forms of harassment and trolling during the movement, which they feared would set a negative precedent. Screen Rant wrote that it sent the message that fan pressuring can work to influence film studios, networks, and streaming services. In response to this concern, HBO Max CEO Tony Goncalves reiterated the passion of the fandom and denied such claims, affirming that as a business they listen to demand from consumers.

post-release

Following the release of the Snyder Cut, fans expressed their appreciation for the film on social media. In what could be described as a follow-up to the original #ReleasetheSnyderCut movement, #RestoretheSnyderVerse started trending as fans advocated for Warner Bros. to allow Zack Snyder to fulfill his original vision for the DCEU and release his version of Justice League 2 and 3. #ReleasetheAyerCut started trending as well, with fans demanding the original cut of Suicide Squad by David Ayer. In July 2021, it was announced that Zack Snyder's two planned Justice League sequels would be released as a fan produced motion comic. However, later that month, it was canceled due to claims of plagiarism.

differences from the theatrical version

While the basic framework of the story is the same, numerous scenes are included to expand upon the characters, mythos, and worldbuilding elements. Teases for upcoming films are also present in Snyder's version. Snyder's version does not use any of the scenes shot by Whedon for his version of Justice League. Former Warner Bros. executives Jon Berg and Geoff Johns, who oversaw the production for Whedon's version, had their credits removed for Snyder's.

Snyder stated that his version is not set in the same continuity as Whedon's, which would remain the canonical version of the film. However, Jason Momoa said that Aquaman (2018) takes place after Snyder's version, rather than Whedon's. Similarly, Wonder Woman (2017) director Patty Jenkins said that no DC director considers Whedon's Justice League canonical, and that she had worked with Snyder to ensure Wonder Woman maintained continuity with his film. Despite these comments, the film has some continuity issues with Aquaman.

music

Tom Holkenborg, also known as Junkie XL, composed the film's score; he had previously worked on the score for the theatrical version of Justice League, before being replaced by Danny Elfman following Snyder's departure and Whedon's arrival. When Holkenborg was rehired to score the film in early 2020, he decided to restart and make a brand new score for the film, which consists of fifty-four tracks and is three hours and 54 minutes long. The length of the score broke the long held 3-hour record of 1959's Ben-Hur by nearly a full hour, becoming the longest musical score in film history. Holkenborg described the score as "fully electronic [at times], and at other times fully orchestral", incorporating elements of rock and trap. The album was released via WaterTower Music on March 18, 2021, the same day as the film's release.

Two tracks from the film's score, "The Crew at Warpower", and "Middle Mass", were released as singles on February 17, 2021, and March 12, 2021, respectively. The soundtrack also makes use of a couple of songs; the beginning of the movie features a traditional Icelandic song "Vísur Vatnsenda-Rósu" by Yong Aus Galeson, while later scenes use the songs "Distant Sky" and "There Is a Kingdom" by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds; none are included on the soundtrack. Allison Crowe's cover of the Leonard Cohen song "Hallelujah" plays during the end credits as a tribute to Autumn Snyder.

marketing

Alongside the announcement of Zack Snyder's Justice League, HBO released posters depicting the six members of the Justice League. Although these posters had previously been used for the theatrical film's marketing campaign, the HBO ones featured a black-and-white filter and strongly emphasized Snyder's name. Chris Agar of Screen Rant called the filter "a stark contrast from the colorful Justice League posters that were prevalent in the buildup to the theatrical release, which is most definitely an intentional choice to separate the two versions of the movie".

On August 22, 2020, the first teaser was released during the DC FanDome event, which was well received by audiences and critics. In early November, the original teaser was temporarily removed from HBO Max's social platforms due to the expiration of the rights to the song "Hallelujah" by Leonard Cohen which was used in the trailer. On November 17, 2020, the third anniversary of the theatrical cut's release, an updated version of the teaser with new footage was uploaded in black and white on Zack Snyder's Vero account and in color on HBO Max's social media accounts. On February 14, the first official trailer or the film released. Charles Holmes of The Ringer states it "doubles down on the director's aesthetic, but the question whether it will improve on the 2017 version looms large". On March 14, the final trailer for the film released. Daniel Kreps of Rolling Stone states it "features many of the hallmarks that made Snyder's version of the blockbuster so mythic in the first place".

Snyder expressed interest in December 2020 on writing a tie-in prequel comic book centered on Batman and the Joker to accompany the film, set in the post-apocalyptic Knightmare world and revealing how the Joker murdered Robin before the Joker steals a Mother Box under Cyborg's calculations so the Flash can warn Bruce Wayne in the past. Snyder later proposed a comic book miniseries set before Batman v Superman which fleshed out Robin's death in detail and Batman's descent into a far more vicious approach on crime-fighting before meeting with Superman. Despite the discussions, Snyder confirmed in February 2021 that DC turned down his proposal.

On March 16, 2021, DC published three variant covers of the film for the comic book issue, Justice League #59, written by Brian Michael Bendis, penciled and inked by David Marquez, and colored by Tamra Bonvillain. The covers were drawn by Lee Bermejo, Liam Sharp, and Jim Lee.

release

format

While the cut was originally planned to release as a four-part miniseries in addition to a single film, Snyder said on Vero in January 2021 that the cut would be released as a "one-shot". WarnerMedia later confirmed this in a press release, describing Zack Snyder's Justice League as a "full-length Max Original feature film". The film is dedicated to Autumn Snyder's memory.

streaming

Zack Snyder's Justice League was released on March 18, 2021, on HBO Max in the United States. Unlike the theatrical version which was rated PG-13, this version carries an R-rating for "violence and some language". The film was released internationally on several platforms: on HBO Go in select Asian countries; Binge in Australia; Crave in Canada; HBO services in select European countries; on digital services such as Amazon Prime Video and the iTunes Store in France; on KinoPoisk HD in Russia & CIS countries; digital services such as BookMyShow, Hungama Play, Tata Sky and the iTunes Store in India; Neon, Sky Go, and Sky Movies Premiere in New Zealand; and on Now and Sky Cinema in the United Kingdom. The film was also released on HBO Max in Latin America when the service launched on June 29, 2021. On March 25, 2021, a black and white version of the cut, entitled the Justice Is Gray Edition, was released on HBO Max, in similar fashion to the Ultimate Edition of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. This version was released in the UK through Sky Cinema on April 30.

Snyder has expressed his interest in screening his film in IMAX theaters in the markets once the COVID-19 pandemic gets under control. For the theatrical release of the film, Snyder added a 10-minute intermission halfway into the movie, accompanied by the score track "The Crew at Warpower". The cut was released in an open matte 1.33:1 aspect ratio alongside IMAX 1.43:1. The cut is also available to stream in 4K, HDR (in both HDR10 and Dolby Vision), and Dolby Atmos on HBO Max.

On March 8, 2021, ten days prior to the scheduled debut of the film, HBO Max released the film to some viewers that were attempting to watch Tom & Jerry. Although the cut's full runtime was locked to Tom & Jerry's 101 minutes, viewers quickly managed to bypass the bug. After more than two hours, it was later fixed.

home media

The film was released May 24, 2021, on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD in the UK. It was released on Ultra HD Blu-ray and Blu-ray in Hong Kong, Australia, Germany, and Italy on May 25, May 26, and May 27, 2021, respectively. A limited edition SteelBook was announced for the UK by HMV with pre-orders starting March 22, 2021. According to Warner Bros UK, pre-orders for the home media version sold out in the first 20 minutes of releases. In the U.S. it was released September 7, 2021 on Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K. The film was released in Canada on September 14, 2021.