The release of Zack Snyder's Justice League was a moment of triumph for longtime supporters of the director's vision for the DCEU, but it's clear that the fight is far from over. The Snyder Cut had its fair share of ups and downs over the years, with the long journey filled with a fan-driven grassroots campaign and numerous Twitter trends to grab the attention of Warner Bros.
Ultimately, the plan worked, and it led to the debut of the highly-anticipated director's cut on HBO Max . Ever since the release, numerous details about the film have emerged online, ranging from unused pieces of concept art all the way to never-before-seen details about Justice League .
In the past weeks, a key part of the Snyder Cut discussion was centered around the future of the Snyderverse. While Warner Bros. has yet to completely address this matter , a new interview with the director may have shed some light on this ongoing movement.
ZACK SNYDER OPENS UP ABOUT THE SNYDERVERSE'S FUTURE
Justice League director Zack Snyder recently sat down with Grace Randolph of Beyond the Trailer to talk about Army of the Dead and his cut of the DC superhero team-up film. One of the topics that was touched upon was the #RestoreTheSnyderverse movement from fans.
When asked about what he thinks about the negative effect of proactive fans (as evidenced by the recent Twitter trends), Snyder suggested that this is a good thing since it is being done to “create awareness” about these movies:
“Yeah, I don't know what the negative of proactive fans is because [when] you're on the other side of the proactiveness, you might not be into it. For me, as far as I'm concerned, a lot of [the fans] are the ones who buy the tickets and support the film through their tweeting and conversations online and vlogging and YouTube videos and every single thing they do [to] create awareness about these IPs and about these products, and about these movies.”
The DCEU director then continued by pointing out that it's the fans' “own priceless marketing” for the film:
"They really are their own priceless marketing aspect of the film. I used to say, and I believe this to some extent... There was a time when [there was] a lot of genre press around Comic-Con and the comic book genre... They [were] kind of the gatekeepers of what is perceived as genre's success and/or to be blessed, to have the project be blessed by these guys was always an important thing that happened."
Snyder admitted that the gatekeepers of movies have now “shifted to the fan community” due to their overwhelming support for these projects. The director used the Snyder Cut movement as an example, admitting that “it's hard for [him] to understand what the downside of that could be:”
"I think now it shifted to the fan community because the voices are just as loud and enthusiastic. What these fans were able to accomplish... I mean, I've said it before, and I'll never stop beating the drum of what these fans were able to accomplish for suicide prevention and mental health awareness, and the amount of money they raised and continue to raise every day. These people are saving lives and this money is saving lives and that's just the fact. It's hard for me to understand what the downside of that could be."
WILL WARNER BROS. RESTORE THE SNYDERVERSE?
It remains to be seen if Warner Bros. will give in to the request of fans the second time around, but Snyder's comments should give his supporters a glimmer of hope.
The age of social media has given fans a prime opportunity to showcase their thoughts and feelings about a certain movie, and the end result of the Snyder Cut proved that this medium is effective. It might be a rare occurrence, but the fact that Snyder's supporters did it is a big takeaway already.
Snyder's remarks about the proactive nature of fans leading to its “own priceless marketing” for the film are noteworthy, and this has been happening not just for the DCEU, but for other franchises like the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The continued discussion about the film on social media will essentially grab the attention of casual viewers, thus leading to more views and subscriptions due to their own curiosity and the hype that was already built around it.
Will the #RestoreTheSnyderverse movement emulate the success of the #ReleaseTheSnyderCut? At this point, it's hard to say, but fans will not stop even if it will take years for them to achieve their goal.
For now, Snyder's belief that there is no downside regarding the proactivity of fans about the Snyderverse should be an added boost for the ongoing movement, and it will be interesting to see how this campaign will unfold in the coming months.
Zack Snyder's Justice League is now streaming on HBO Max.
Snyder's full interview can be seen below:
