In 2021, Warner Bros. gave Zack Snyder the green light to finally piece together a four-hour long cut of Justice League, finishing out his trilogy of films in the DCEU. Before the studio allowed this to happen, fans only had the 2017 theatrical version of the film that was largely made by Joss Whedon and Warner Bros. executives. The final product resulted in an incoherent story that clocked in at exactly two hours long, leaving many fans disappointed with the DCEU's first team-up movie.
With both versions of the film now available to the public, Snyder's edition is what many fans consider to be the true canon. It spends a considerate amount of time providing exposition for the plot while giving a backstory to characters such as Ray Fisher's Cyborg and Ezra Miller's Barry Allen - something that the theatrical cut never did.
The majority of Zack Snyder's Justice League is also considerably better in the visual effects department, as well as costuming, which was a major concern from viewers in the 2017 cut.
All in all, it is hard to remember the last time a comic book movie was received as poorly as 2017's Justice League. Even some of the actors have voiced their gripes about the film, with another star from the film recently joining that list.
Jeremy Irons' Opinion of Justice League
In a recent interview with Variety, actor Jeremy Irons, who starred as Alfred Pennyworth in the DCEU, was asked about Zack Snyder's Justice League and if he had seen that cut of the film.
Irons stated that he "hasn't seen" Snyder's version, but that he "remember(s) talking to Zack" prior to the release of the movie, and thinking that it "couldn't be worse" than 2017's Justice League:
"Strangely, I think I have it and I haven’t seen it. I shall have to hunt it out and see if I have it somewhere online or on a DVD. I remember talking to Zack [Snyder] before he did it and being very interested to see what he came up with. It couldn’t have been worse."
When asked if he meant that it "couldn't have been worse" than the theatrical cut, Irons simply replied with "I don't think it could have been, could it?"
The interviewer then stated that they "thought it was dreadful," with Irons agreeing by saying "Well, so did I."
Another Justice League Actor's Displeasure
The list of actors that speak negatively about either their experience working on 2017's Justice League or about the final product that was put in theaters continues to grow rapidly.
Jeremy Irons is obviously in the group of people who just thought that the movie wasn't good. Other stars, such as Gal Gadot and Ray Fisher, have gone so far as to talk about bad experiences they had behind the scenes with people working on Justice League after Zack Snyder had to step away.
Ben Affleck recently revealed that he is in the same boat as Irons, even going so far as to say that the movie made him want to quit playing Batman for good. Luckily, he did end up returning to the role during reshoots for Zack Snyder's Justice League and also has a role to play in the upcoming Flash movie that will be released sometime later this year.
Overall, it is honestly quite sad that 2017's Justice League left a bad taste in the mouths of so many people, including the actors. Hopefully, going forward, Warner Bros. and DC will be able to get the franchise on the right track and it will be an enjoyment both on-screen and behind-the-scenes.
