The Unprecedented Production of Zack Snyder’s Justice League
Revealing the Fandom Frenzy Created by Support from Chaotic Fans
After watching Superman die in the Superman v Batman: Dawn of Justice movie, I was prepared for the built-up suspense of going to the movie theaters to see the Justice League in 2017, unaware that Snyder had left the production a couple of months earlier, giving Joss Whedon full reigns to the movie. The result was unsatisfactory. The movie felt rushed, not giving any backstory to the new characters like Flash and Cyborg. At the same time, I watched all the theories about the new movie crumble along with my expectations. Still, in 2021, Zack Snyder’s Justice League renewed everyone’s hopes regarding the movie by releasing a detailed four-hour movie, giving everyone much more than a general grasp of the movie’s true intentions. I felt confused: why DC didn’t release this version of the Justice League instead of the original in 2017?
As fans continue to monitor DC’s direction under James Gunn’s guidance, we remember Zack Snyder’s old collage of Man of Steel and Batman v Superman movies, but most importantly, the Justice League. Snyder fans look at the earlier movies to examine how the dark context in every film received outstanding reviews and feedback, but Snyder’s biggest project working for DC was the Justice League.
Back in 2017, Snyder left Joss Whedon to finish the original Justice League in time for the November deadline. Although Snyder eventually came back to create the Snyder Cut that was popular when it came out in 2021, it is still a mystery as to why production for the second film was delayed for four years. Snyder’s sudden leave of absence had not gone unnoticed by the media and his fans. Revealing the reason for Snyder’s decision to leave production also highlights the uproar caused by Snyder fans, and how this ordeal actually benefited suicide prevention causes and created a frenzy on social media.
To grasp why Snyder left the production of Justice League to Whedon, it is essential to provide background information on the different factors that resulted in Snyder’s sudden withdrawal from DC. One of these factors includes the death of his daughter, Autumn Snyder. Venic Nyanchama, with three years of experience in journalism, indicates that Autumn Snyder was one of Snyder’s adopted children, and she enjoyed the film industry as much as she loved helping numerous people with charity work. Although Autumn was an active young lady, she also struggled with depression for many years before she ultimately committed suicide by taking the drug Acute Citalopram, which was meant to help her depression but, in the end, caused an intoxication in her blood that killed her.
This crushed Snyder, but David Betancourt, two-time Eisner Award nominee, and reporter for comic books for the Washington Post, claims what pushed him over the edge was the constant disagreements with Warner Bros. to change the theme of the movie away from a gloomy context to a funny one. This led Snyder and his wife, Deborah, to give up entirely and focus on family during the tragedy.
Nicole Sperling, media and entertainment reporter, notes that, luckily for DC, they hired Whedon to finish directing the film for Snyder. Whedon was then in charge of releasing the movie in 2017, but Whedon’s version of the film received a series of harsh reviews. This led to various demands from the media to bring Snyder back.
Before the Snyder Cut was eventually produced and released on HBO Max, Snyder himself had made efforts to bring forth the movement, #ReleasetheSnydercut, that would contribute to Warner Bros.’ decision to provide funding for the Snyder Cut.
Aaron Couch, editor for The Hollywood Reporter with more than 11 years experience working with them, reports while Warner Bros. celebrated the release of Whedon’s version of the Justice League, the media and Snyder demanded a reshoot of the movie. After watching Whedon’s cut of Justice League, fans and critics alike demonstrated extreme dissatisfaction, starting “#ReleasetheSnyderCut.”
This movement throughout social media was meant to use fans to strong-arm Warner Bros. into providing funding for the movie, and the movement only grew stronger as Snyder started advertising his desire to film the original ideas for the movie. Betancourt vividly illustrates that supporters of Zack Snyder displayed a banner reading “Warner Bros. #ReleasetheSnyderCut” on a plane flying above the San Diego Comic-Con in 2019 to help gain momentum for Snyder’s funding.
As COVID-19 began its reign of terror in 2019, Snyder was able to start renegotiations with Warner Bros. to launch the reshoot of the Justice League in his image due to the constant support that came from the popular movement. Couch illustrates that support was also received from cast members from the movie, such as Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot, and Ray Fisher, on social media. Thanks to the media attention, Snyder was funded 70 million dollars from Warner Bros. to direct the Snyder Cut on HBO Max.
During the quest to convince Warner Bros. to fund Snyder’s movie, the media did positive things, and these actions, although sometimes in good faith, turned chaotic and hostile at times.
An example of a positive aspect of the movement, according to Betancourt, was demonstrated when the media supported suicide prevention and mental health awareness in honor of the death of Snyder’s daughter. Melissa Leon, three-time National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Award winner and journalist, reports that fans raised at least $500,000 for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, but despite this good gesture, another side of the media started to rear its head.
Leon addresses the antics of some Snyder fans, resulting in some bullying journalists and people who go to the movies for voicing any negativity/dislike for Snyder’s style of the film. Eliana Dockterman, a correspondent for TIME magazine, explains that a significant number of DC fans decided to come together to lower the ratings of the Black Panther Marvel movie before it was released, causing a popular rating site to forbid allowing ratings before a film.
Snyder fans didn’t stop their appalling actions even after they escalated into outright death threats. Julia Alexander, former reporter for the Verge, explains that critics and reporters received death threats and were called slurs if they ever showed any contempt or dislike for Snyder’s Justice League movie or previous movies, and the former Warner Bros. CEO Kevin Tsujihara and DC comic executive Geoff Johns also faced severe attacks from these fanatics. Alexander notes that the DC executive stopped using Twitter completely as he faced harsh criticism non-stop, and even when Tsujihara stepped down as Warner’s CEO, the new CEO Ann Sturnoff was constantly pestered to give in to the demands of starting production for the Snyder Cut.
Although the support from fans online did help Snyder make the Snyder Cut, some had to first bully others into changing their opinion of Snyder, while others espoused positivity by supporting suicide prevention.
On March 18, 2021, Snyder fans received their long-awaited desire, Zack Snyder’s Justice League, and the differences between the 2017 Justice League and the 2021 movie determined whether the four-year journey to release this movie was worth the struggles faced throughout the media.
Ethan Sacks, writer and journalist from New York in charge of a few Marvel comics, interprets the new four-hour movie as meticulous due to the fact that the film is broken into six parts. For instance, part four, “Change Machine,” is devoted solely to the character Cyborg, played by Ray Fisher in the film. Unlike in the original Justice League in 2017, Snyder’s new cut delved further than simply recruiting this new hero onto the Justice League without giving the audience any insight but instead unfolded a proper backstory as to how Cyborg came to be in the position that led him to be recruited by the other heroes in the movie, essentially making him the main character of this movie.
Despite all the efforts to create the Snyder Cut and the cliffhangers to hint at sequels to the 2021 film, there has been no further talk of Snyder working in the DC universe.
As we await Snyder’s new movie, Rebel Moon, it is crucial to understand Snyder’s view on returning to DC to finish the Justice League after leaving a cliffhanger at the end of the movie.
Ian Sandwell, with more than ten years of experience in movie journalism, clarifies right off the bat that Snyder does not have any intention to finish the sequel of the Justice League despite leaving a cliffhanger. This is simply due to the fact that the Snyder Cut wasn’t meant to be created in the first place, and Snyder feels that it is up to Warner Bros. to decide whether to develop the storyline any further.
Frank Allegra, the deputy entertainment editor for the Daily Beast, illustrates the various qualifications of the new leader of DC, James Gunn, and throughout the article Allegra mentions the multiple plans Gunn intends to implement, including Aquaman 2, hinting that there would not be any space for Snyder to come back even if he decided to.
As DC has moved forward with Gunn, Snyder has also moved on by establishing his new movie sequel with Netflix. Kia Young, senior writer for ScreenRant, simplifies Snyder’s profound satisfaction working alongside Netflix due to how Snyder can design Rebel Moon without the same strict restrictions from Warner Bros. that led him to leave the production of the Justice League in 2017.
Young conveys Snyder’s busy schedule regarding the release of Rebel Moon and its sequel, which he will be dealing with for years to come. Thanks to Snyder’s duties with Rebel Moon and Gunn as the new leader of DC, there is little possibility of Snyder ever completing a Justice League sequel.
In conclusion, based on the various actions shown by the media, it is safe to say that a movement like #ReleasetheSnydercut will never happen again for any movie in the future. Snyder fans who were desperate for the return of Snyder to DC caused more chaos than good, such as online bullying and threats towards those who spoke out against the Snyder Cut. Despite the dark side of the movement, Snyder didn’t support this behavior and even spoke out against it, but people continued the antics.
Alternatively, Marvel fans were able to show restraint as opposed to Snyder fans based on their reaction to the direction Marvel has taken since 2019 and their decision to restructure the entire franchise during the movie Avengers: Endgame, but Marvel fans didn’t spawn a riot and start protesting against the decision like the Snyder fans occurring in that same year.
Now that DC has brought on Gunn, a Marvel director, to try to restructure DC and get better ratings, it is clear that Snyder has a very low chance of ever finishing his work in DC. Thus, a movement as chaotic as #ReleasetheSndyercut will never happen again.
Additional Sources Used in this Article
Allegra, Frank. “James Gunn Is in Charge of the DC Universe Now — As He Should Be: The director of “Peacemaker” and “The Suicide Squad” — the best DC projects in years — is now heading up the entire studio. It could change everything for the better.” The Daily Beast. 2022. Found on ProQuest.
Betancourt, David. “How Zack Snyder finally created the ‘Justice League’ he wanted all along.” Washington Post. 2021. Found on Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints.
Dockterman, Eliana. “With the Snyder Cut, Fan Culture Runs Amok.” TIME Magazine. 2021. Found on EBSCOhost.
Leon, Melissa. “‘Zack Snyder’s Justice League’ Producer Deborah Snyder on Joss Whedon, DC Fans, and the ‘Joy’ of Closure: Deborah Snyder, the producer of “Zack Snyder’s Justice League” and wife of Zack Snyder, opens up about the fraught journey to completing their four-hour superhero epic.” The Daily Beast. 2021. Found on ProQuest.
Sperling, Nicole. “Family Tragedy Rocks Justice League.” Entertainment Weekly. 2017. Found on EBSCOhost.
