One of the worst kept secrets throughout the world of DC movies right now is the major controversy behind 2017’s Justice League. Even while fans are eagerly awaiting the debut of the Snyder Cut next year, the last six months have flooded news streams with stories of how this team-up movie fell into shambles during production.
The most notable name of a filmmaker behind this mayhem seems to be Joss Whedon, who took over directing duties after Zack Snyder’s family tragedy. Not only did the theatrical cut turn out to be a huge mess, Whedon was accused of verbal abuse on set when he came in to finish shooting the DCEU film.
The disdain for this film went even beyond the DCEU fans, as a recent report details one of the franchise’s premiere names voicing her criticism of the flick:
NEWS
In a new interview with CinemaBlend, Wonder Woman 1984 director Patty Jenkins reveals that she never saw the theatrical cut of Justice League when it released in November 2017. When asked if she saw the Whedon film to understand how Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman was handled in her most recent installment, Jenkins responded with a lengthy answer:
"No, I think that all of us DC directors tossed that out just as much as the fans did. But also, I felt that that version contradicted my first movie in many ways, and this current movie, which I was already in production on. So then, what are you going to do? I was like… you would have to play ball in both directions in order for that to work."
Jenkins further explains:
"The only thing I have done, and have always tried to do, is -- I knew, when Zack was doing Justice League, where she sort of ends up. So I always tried… like, I didn’t change her suit, because I never want to… I don’t want to contradict his films, you know? But yet, I have to have my own films, and he’s been very supportive of that. And so, I think that that Justice League was kind of an outlier. They were trying to turn one thing into, kind of, another. And so then it becomes, ‘I don’t recognize half of these characters. I’m not sure what’s going on.’"
WHAT THIS MEANS
It’s a widely known fact that DCEU fans didn’t respond well to this movie’s release, but it’s incredibly telling that a director who is so deeply involved in these movies didn’t even see the final product. The switch in directors from Zack Snyder to Joss Whedon appeared to have lasting consequences that permeated the rest of the DCEU, which clearly rubbed Jenkins the wrong way after her success with bringing Wonder Woman to life that same year.
Jenkins' statement about not recognizing half of the characters as they were presented in the theatrical release of Justice League is undoubtedly a major issue considering Wonder Woman was the film directly preceding Justice League. The direction in which Whedon took the movie was a drastic change from everything Zack Snyder had built up through the two movies he had already directed in the DCEU. This fact combined with the reported abuse that took place on set left a horrible impression on all parties involved, although Jenkins is working hard to move past this mishap and bring the best movie she can with her upcoming sequel.
Wonder Woman 1984 will release in theaters and on HBO Max on December 25, and the Snyder Cut of Justice League will make its arrival sometime in 2021.
