And now for news that I honestly never thought I’d have to report—the Snyder Cut is real. Not only is the mythical cut of “Justice League,” fulfilling the vision of director Zack Snyder, a real thing, but it’s actually getting released. In other news, Hell froze over, and “Gambit” is the next Marvel Studios film to hit theaters. (Those last two things are fake, but before today, seemed equally as likely.)
According to Snyder himself, during a recent “Man of Steel” watchalong on Vero, Warner Bros. is ready to unleash the version of “Justice League” that Snyder has been teasing for years on the movie-going public. After months of campaigning, with numerous billboards during Comic-Con, airplane fly-overs, and other guerrilla tactics, keeping the long-dead cut of the superhero team-up film in the news, it appears that the #ReleaseTheSnyderCut faithful have their moment to gloat. And many, many, many doubters, like myself, are forced to eat crow and hand it to the diehards—you did it. Congratulations. Now, let’s see if the wait was worth it, or if this was all for naught.
“The truth is…I’m not really in control of it,” teased Snyder. “I’ve said it exists and I’ve been clear about what I did with it. It’s not really up to me. If it was up to me, I would have already left it on a thumbdrive in a bathroom somewhere.”
“I would love to see a version of ‘Justice League’ without the mustache,” joked Henry Cavill, who joined Snyder’s watchalong.
After joking some more, the filmmaker cut to a screen announcing the release of “Zack Snyder’s Justice League” on HBO Max in 2021.
“It’ll probably be in 2021 because we have a little bit of work to do, but we’re doing it. Get ready,” he said.
You see, unlike the version of “Justice League” that was released after Joss Whedon was hired to drastically rewrite the film, and Snyder had to step away after a personal family matter, the Snyder Cut of the superhero film isn’t going to be as polished as you might expect. Instead of spending the millions to refilm certain things and finish the VFX work that would have gone into the fully-produced version of “Justice League” that Zack Snyder envisioned, it appears that WB is content to release the new version of the film, as it is, with very little added, warts and all.
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It’s interesting to hear more about why this cut of the film is eventually getting released. Did Snyder convince WB that it’s a huge improvement over the cut that was released in theaters and didn’t do well with critics and fans? Is it just a way for WB to make a quick buck during a time of uncertainty, with the pandemic causing studios to re-evaluate strategies? Does HBO Max need the boost in popularity, with the hope that the Snyder Cut will force people to subscribe to the newest streaming service? Hopefully, the explanation will be forthcoming.
Until then, Zack Snyder and his legion of fans can celebrate a hard-fought victory. “Zack Snyder’s Justice League” will arrive in 2021.
Here’s the full press release, if you (like me) are finding this all hard to believe:
LOS ANGELES – May 20, 2020 – After global passionate fan calls to action and the #ReleaseTheSnyderCut movement, HBO Max and Warner Bros. Pictures announced today that it will exclusively world premiere Zack Snyder’s director’s cut of the Warner Bros. Pictures/DC feature film Justice League in 2021. Snyder surprised fans with the news this morning during a live online commentary of his film Man of Steel with Henry Cavill.
ReleaseTheSnyderCut first became a passionate rallying social media cry among fans in 2017 and has not let up. From countless press articles and hundreds of thousands of social media mentions, it became a powerful global movement among cinephiles and comic book fans.
“I want to thank HBO Max and Warner Brothers for this brave gesture of supporting artists and allowing their true visions to be realized. Also a special thank you to all of those involved in the SnyderCut movement for making this a reality,” said Snyder.
“Since I got here 14 months ago, the chant to #ReleaseTheSnyderCut has been a daily drumbeat in our offices and inboxes. Well, the fans have asked, and we are thrilled to finally deliver. At the end of the day, it really is all about them and we are beyond excited to be able to release Zack’s ultimate vision for this film in 2021. This could never have happened if it weren’t for the hard work and combined efforts of the teams at HBO Max and Warner Bros. Pictures,” said Robert Greenblatt, Chairman, Warner Media Entertainment and Direct-To-Consumer.
“When Zack and Debbie shared the extraordinary vision of where Zack wanted to take Justice League, my team and our counterparts at Warner Bros. took it as a mission to solve the many issues that stood in the way,” said Kevin Reilly, Chief Content Officer at HBO Max, President, TNT, TBS and truTV. “Thanks to the partnership at Warner Bros. and the relentless pursuit of the entire WarnerMax team we are able to deliver this incredibly exciting moment for Zack, the fans and HBO Max.”
“Thanks to the efforts of a lot people, we’re excited to bring fans this highly anticipated version of Justice League,” said Toby Emmerich, Chairman, Warner Bros. Pictures Group. “This feels like the right time to share Zack’s story, and HBO Max is the perfect platform for it. We’re glad the creative planets aligned, allowing us to #ReleaseTheSnyderCut.”
In Justice League, fueled by his restored faith in humanity and inspired by Superman’s selfless act, Bruce Wayne enlists the help of his newfound ally, Diana Prince, to face an even greater enemy. Together, Batman and Wonder Woman work quickly to find and recruit a team of metahumans to stand against this newly awakened threat. But despite the formation of this unprecedented league of heroes—Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Cyborg and The Flash—it may already be too late to save the planet from an assault of catastrophic proportions.
The Justice League screenplay is by Chris Terrio, story by Chris Terrio & Zack Snyder, based on characters from DC, Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The film’s producers are Charles Roven, Deborah Snyder, with executive producers Christopher Nolan, Emma Thomas, Jim Rowe, Ben Affleck, Wesley Coller, Curtis Kanemoto, and Chris Terrio.