‘Zack Snyder’s Justice League’ Will Delight DC’s Toxic Fans
Zack Snyder’s Justice League is a film about superhero gods, so it’s fitting that its own production story is now the stuff of modern Hollywood legend.
That myth began back in May 2017, when in the midst of post-production on Justice League, Snyder—the architect of Warner Bros’ DC universe, and the director of Man of Steel and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice—stepped away to deal with the death of his stepdaughter, and Avengers helmer Joss Whedon was hired to complete the would-be blockbuster. The Frankensteinian final product grossed an underwhelming $658 million worldwide, and a social media campaign for the original “Snyder Cut” began, eventually gaining enough steam to make Snyder cop to its existence. Sensing an opportunity to mend fences with the filmmaker, satiate vocal die-hards, erase their partnership with Whedon (who’s been dogged by criticisms about his inappropriate on-set behavior), and produce a grand event for its fledgling HBO Max platform, Warner Bros. announced in May 2020 that it would spend an additional $70 million to complete the long-rumored epic.
Thus, Zack Snyder’s Justice League—whose plot concerns Superman rising from the grave—lived, died, and is now reborn.