JUSTICE LEAGUE (2017) / ZACK SNYDER’S JUSTICE LEAGUE (2021)

2024-08-30

Believing they had struck gold, Warner Bros wasted no time putting JUSTICE LEAGUE into production with Zack Snyder at the helm once again for a release the following year, before Batman v Superman was even released in March of 2016. Meanwhile, the need for a DC creative head was finally filled by new Chief Creative Officer Geoff Johns, a comic book writer who had began his career as an assistant to Superman the Movie director Richard Donner, and a man whose own idea of what the DC Cinematic Universe...

Believing they had struck gold, Warner Bros wasted no time putting JUSTICE LEAGUE into production with Zack Snyder at the helm once again for a release the following year, before Batman v Superman was even released in March of 2016. Meanwhile, the need for a DC creative head was finally filled by new Chief Creative Officer Geoff Johns, a comic book writer who had began his career as an assistant to Superman the Movie director Richard Donner, and a man whose own idea of what the DC Cinematic Universe should be was in direct opposition to the vision of its current architect.

When Batman v Superman was finally released, the box office for the history-making superhero film wouldn’t be considered a disaster by any measure, but the reaction to its dour tone and and edgy, complex plot left many viewers and critics with a bad taste in their mouth, leaving behind a brutal 29% Rotten Tomato score. Seeing the reception as an opportunity, Johns took control of the Justice League set, leading to on-set rewrites, reshoots helmed by Avengers director Joss Whedon, and digitally-erased mustaches.

The final film released in theaters in November of 2017 was a shell of its filmmaker’s intention and literally half its length, but the reception… was nearly just as bad as Batman v Superman the previous year. Warner had accomplished nothing, and the backlash among fans of the so-called “Snyderverse” was severe and almost immediate as the #ReleaseThe SnyderCut movement began. While it would take nearly 4 years to accomplish its goal, the launch of HBO Max and a lull in productions due to the pandemic lead Warner Bros to finally greenlight the completion of Zack Snyder’s original version of the film, or at least the closes thing to it.

Join Nick and Scott as they discuss the drama behind the scenes of the film that eventually became the 4 hour epic, ZACK SNYDER’S JUSTICE LEAGUE, that taught Warner Bros what happens when you give a mouse a cookie.

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