The announcement of Zack Snyder's director's cut of Justice League was some of the biggest DCU news ever announced; and ever since that announcement was made in Spring of 2020, news about the project hasn't stopped and only seems to be increasing as its release date approaches.
In the past few months, fans have heard from Zack Snyder himself about his original plan for the scene when Cyborg meets Wonder Woman , the number of visual effects shots fans can expect in the Snyder Cut , and how his cut contained six chapters and an epilogue .
However, some of the latest news surrounding the project has been a source of both confusion and frustration for fans ever since DC Films President Walter Hamada stated the Snyder Cut will not be involved in the DCEU moving forward . This has promoted a new hashtag #RestoreTheSnyderVerse to encourage DC Films to consider Snyder's vision as canon. In the meantime, Zack Snyder has remained active in sharing both his vision for Justice League and is even shedding more light on just what he shot on set back in 2016.
NEWS
In an interview with ComicBook Debate , Zack Snyder confirmed he shot two versions of Justice League during its 2016 production — one that lined up with his vision for the project and another that lined up with the studio's vision.
When asked about now finally being free to shoot his vision for Justice League in the interview, Zack Snyder shared the following:
"The truth is...the rest of the four hours of the movie are really just what I shot... The truth is I was in a struggle with the studio, you know, and famously we had a lot of stuff we had to do and make it funny and all this stuff. And, you know, frankly, I just, kind of in a slightly subversive way, just kept also doing my thing at the same time so that I would have what I believed would be, you know, closer to what I would want to do without any influence..."
Snyder's conflicting vision with the studio isn't necessarily news, but his solution to shoot both what he wanted in addition to what the studio heads wanted explains how news about his own cut originated.
He continued on explaining that this decision falls in line with his filming style and philosophy saying, " And I always kind of shoot that way anyway. I always try and shoot, you know, what I think is right... "
In regard to the process of putting together this version of the project, Snyder continued saying,
"Putting the movie back together was really a process. ...It was almost, like, you know, being archeologists. ...what I had shot and what, you know, would never have seen the light of day even though I shot it... We were able to pull back and put it in the movie and all that. So that was really, that's been a really great process. ...because like I say...a very small fraction of the movie...is the stuff is the new stuff that I shot."
This is another confirmation that a significant portion of Snyder's Justice League will be footage fans haven't seen. Snyder actually confirmed this again saying, "... like 80 something percent of the movie is never, has never, been seen, you know, by anyone visual effect wise... And that's not even including the scenes that are, that you guys, have never seen that don't have visual effects. "
To see the full interview, check out the video below:
WHAT THIS MEANS
There have been questions about whether fans will actually see Snyder's original version for Justice League when it streams on HBO Max. This is because Snyder and members of the cast have been shooting for this particular project, implying that it's not his cut in its pure form. These questions are also the result of news that Snyder's Justice League is supposed to be released in multiple episodes as opposed to a single release.
Snyder's comments in this interview certainly seem to confirm that he did film most of what he wanted while on set in 2016, and what he's adding is small by comparison.
His comments only continue to shed light on how he and the studio had drastically different visions; and while some may have believed that the Snyder Cut's release would finally end the drama between the director and studio, the comment from DC Films President Walter Hamada shows that there are still differing visions when it comes to the Justice League and its heroes. And this anticipated project's release may not be the end, but rather be a new source of conflict.
