May 21 (Guardian) – Zack Snyder has revealed that the “Snyder cut” of 2017’s critically loathed DC adventure Justice League will finally see the light of day.
The director, who departed the project during post-production after the death of his daughter, announced during a watch party for 2013’s Man of Steel that a new version would land on HBO Max in 2021.
“It will be an entirely new thing, and, especially talking to those who have seen the released movie, a new experience apart from that movie,” Snyder said to the Hollywood Reporter about his new version. He has yet to see the cut that was released, one that was ultimately steered by Joss Whedon, writer-director of The Avengers.
After the film received negative reviews and underperformed theatrically in November 2017, rumours spread that Snyder’s original cut was darker and more fulfilling than what was eventually seen. A fan army assembled, using the hashtag #ReleaseTheSnyderCut to push Warner Bros for the footage, with 100,000 fans signing a petition within five days of its release and, last year, buying a billboard in Times Square.
For the second anniversary of its release in 2019, stars Gal Gadot and Ben Affleck also joined in, tweeting the hashtag in support. Soon after, Warner Bros’ chairman, Toby Emmerich, contacted Snyder and his wife and producing partner, Deborah. “This is real. People out there want it. Would you guys ever consider doing something?” he asked.
The Snyders are now at work on a new version with sources estimating the cost between $20m-$30m and, while unconfirmed, the new cut is rumoured to come to Warner’s new streaming service in the form of a TV series. The process will involve actors recording additional dialogue as well as new effects being added.
“This return to that pedigree and to let my singular vision of my movie be realized, in this format, in this length, is unprecedented and a brave move,” Snyder said.
Snyder is currently finishing zombie horror Army of the Dead for Netflix. Fan intrigue in the director’s original Justice League cut comes after his last DC film, Batman v Superman, a film fully of his making, received even worse reviews.
