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Zack Snyder's Justice League, commonly referred to as the "Snyder Cut", is the upcoming director's cut of Zack Snyder's 2017 superhero film, Justice League. It presents Justice League, the fifth film of the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) and based on the DC Comics superhero team of the same name, as director Snyder had intended it before he left the production and Joss Whedon took over his duties. Like the theatrical release, Zack Snyder's Justice League follows the Justice League—Batman, Superman Wonder Woman, the Flash, Aquaman, and Cyborg—as they attempt to save the world from the catastrophic threat of Steppenwolf and his army of Parademons.

The theatrical Justice League, released in 2017, suffered a difficult production. Its script underwent major changes before and during production between 2016 and 2017. In May 2017, Snyder stepped down during post-production following the suicide of his daughter, and Whedon took over, completing the film as an uncredited director. Whedon oversaw reshoots and other changes that added a brighter tone and more humor to the film, and cut the runtime down from four hours to 120 minutes in accordance with a mandate from Warner Bros. The theatrical release of Justice League was a commercial failure and was met with a mixed reception from critics and audiences, leading Warner Bros. to re-evaluate the future of the DCEU.

When details surfaced about the film's troubled production and its state before Snyder stepped down, many fans expressed interest in an alternate cut more faithful to Snyder's vision. Fans and members of the cast and crew petitioned for the release of this, which they nicknamed the Snyder Cut. At the time, Warner Bros. stated that it had no plans to release an alternate cut, and film industry figures regarded the release as unlikely. However, Warner Bros. changed its mind in February 2020, and the following May, Snyder announced that the cut would be completed and released as Zack Snyder's Justice League via the streaming service HBO Max. The restoration will cost $20–30 million to complete the visual effects, score, and editing.

Zack Snyder's Justice League is scheduled to be released in 2021 on HBO Max.

Premise
Following the death of Superman in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016), Batman and Wonder Woman recruit the Flash, Aquaman, and Cyborg to form the Justice League and protect the world from Steppenwolf and his army of Parademons, who seek the three Mother Boxes.

Cast

 * Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne / Batman
 * Henry Cavill as Kal-El / Clark Kent / Superman
 * Gal Gadot as Diana Prince / Wonder Woman
 * Ezra Miller as Barry Allen / The Flash
 * Jason Momoa as Arthur Curry / Aquaman
 * Ray Fisher as Victor Stone / Cyborg

Additionally, Darkseid, who did not appear in the theatrical cut, will appear in Zack Snyder's Justice League.

Development of Justice League
Following the release of Man of Steel (2013), director Zack Snyder outlined the basis of the DC Extended Universe (DCEU), which centered around a five-film arc including Man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) and a Justice League trilogy. Snyder's original vision was to have Batman v Superman be the darkest in the franchise, and have the films become more hopeful in tone from there. However, Batman v Superman was panned by critics, with criticism directed at its dark tone, lack of humor and slow pace. This reaction caused distributor Warner Bros. and Snyder to re-evaluate upcoming DCEU films, particularly Suicide Squad (2016), which had already wrapped principal photography, and Justice League, which was a month away from filming. Snyder and screenwriter Chris Terrio rewrote Justice League to be more hopeful in tone than originally planned. Cinematographer Fabian Wagner said Snyder wanted to "get away from the stylized, desaturated, super-high contrast looks of other films in the franchise."

Principal photography for Justice League began in April 2016 and wrapped the following December. Months later, multiple cuts of Snyder's Justice League were shown to Warner Bros. executives, in addition to friends and family of Snyder. A final run-time and picture lock were achieved, though the cuts had incomplete visual effects shots and partial audio mixing. Snyder said that he had multiple cuts that were essentially "done", only needing "a few CG tweaks" to complete. Forbes contributor and film screenwriter Mark Hughes reported that Snyder's cut was more than 90% complete, while The Daily Telegraph cited a visual effects expert as estimating that Warner Bros. would need another $30–40 million to finish the film. Warner Bros. executives who saw Snyder's cut felt that Snyder made significant efforts to lighten the tone following the criticism of Batman v Superman. Despite this, Warner Bros. was still unhappy with the results and insider reports indicated that it considered the cut "unwatchable".

After disapproving of Snyder's direction, Warner Bros. hired Joss Whedon, who directed the Marvel Cinematic Universe films The Avengers (2012) and Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), to rewrite the script and help with extensive reshoots. Warner Bros. CEO Kevin Tsujihara mandated that Justice League length was not to exceed two hours. Warner Bros. also decided not to push back the release date (which would have allowed the filmmakers more time to properly complete Justice League) so that executives could keep their annual bonuses and partly due to concerns that parent company AT&T might dissolve the studio after an upcoming merger. Snyder was expected to film the scenes that Whedon re-wrote, and they were working together to meet Warner Bros.'s requests when Snyder's daughter, Autumn Snyder, killed herself in March 2017. Snyder continued to work on Justice League for two months to distract himself, before stepping down in May. His wife Deborah Snyder, who was producing Justice League, also left the project.

Once Snyder left, Whedon assumed full control over the production of Justice League, although Snyder retained directorial credit for the released film. Whedon added nearly 80 new pages to the script, and Wagner estimates that Whedon's cut uses only about 10% of the footage he shot. Composer Junkie XL completed his film score before being replaced by Danny Elfman halfway through post-production. The scenes that Whedon wrote or re-shot for the theatrical release featured a brighter tone and more humor, and reduced the level of violence seen in Snyder's darker direction. To meet the mandated runtime, more than 90 minutes of Snyder's footage was removed, but the result still adhered to the basic outline of the story. While the initial cut was poorly received by test audiences, the early screening of Whedon's cut scored as high as Wonder Woman (2017), so Warner Bros. decided to move forward with it. Justice League premiered in Beijing on October 26, 2017, before its theatrical release on November 17.

Critics described the theatrical cut as a "Frankenstein" film, obviously the work of two different directors with competing visions. Justice League grossed $657.9 million against an estimated $300 million budget. Up against an estimated break-even point of as much as $750 million, Deadline Hollywood reported that the film lost Warner Bros. around $60 million. Due to the film's poor performance, Warner Bros. decided to move away from Snyder's vision for a shared universe of interconnected films and focus on standalone films and solo franchises instead.

#ReleaseTheSnyderCut movement
Immediately after the theatrical release of Justice League, fans created an online petition to release the "Snyder Cut" that gained more than 180,000 signatures. The movement, which used the hashtag #ReleaseTheSnyderCut on social media, began before fans had any knowledge that a cut of Snyder's Justice League film actually existed in any capacity. The movement was ignited by the mixed reviews of the theatrical cut, as fans knew that Snyder left directorial duties and the final cut of the film in the hands of Whedon; thus, they assumed that Whedon created an inferior film. The circumstances have been compared to the situation of Superman II (1980). Both involved a director that was replaced before completion, which led to a second director coming in and making substantial changes. Richard Donner had been able to complete his Superman II cut in 2006. Some assumed that an alternate cut of Justice League was inevitable because some of Snyder's films have been rereleased as extended cuts for home media (such as Watchmen (2009) and Batman v Superman), which some critics see as superior to the theatrical versions.

Members of the Justice League cast and crew showing support for the Snyder Cut's release included actors Jason Momoa, Ciarán Hinds, and Ray Fisher; photographer Clay Enos; storyboard artist Jay Oliva; cinematographer Wagner; and Ben Affleck's stunt double Richard Cetrone. On the two-year anniversary of the theatrical cut, cast and crew voiced support through social media. Other film- and comic-book-industry figures not related to Justice League have also supported the release of a "Snyder Cut" including filmmaker Kevin Smith, television producer Steven S. DeKnight, and comic book writers Rob Liefeld, Robert Kirkman, and Jerry Ordway. Other figures were less optimistic. Shawn Robbins, chief analyst for Boxoffice Pro, suggested the size of the movement was too small to make an impact, stating, "another cut of Justice League just doesn't seem to be something many outside the die-hard fan base are clamoring to see". Industry insiders also called the Snyder Cut's release unlikely. Writer Mario F. Robles, based on his industry connections, said Warner Bros. did not trust Snyder's vision and was not willing to spend millions to finish his cut. Throughout the movement, members of the media referred to the Snyder Cut as "fabled"  or "mythical".

Members of the #ReleaseTheSnyderCut movement engaged in acts of fan activism to promote it. In June 2018, fans reached out to executives at AT&T following a merger between the company and Warner; in June 2019 they reached out to new Warner Bros. CEO Ann Sarnoff, who replaced Tsujihara after his resignation, following that up a month later with a mass letter-writing campaign; and in July 2019 they reached out to WarnerMedia after the announcement of its new streaming service HBO Max. Ahead of the 2019 San Diego Comic-Con, a fan launched a crowdfunding campaign with half of the funds to be spent on an advertising campaign (including billboards and a flying banner ad promoting the Snyder Cut), and the other half to be donated to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP). For a similar campaign at the 2019 New York Comic Con, the movement purchased ad space on two billboards over Times Square featuring quotes from members of the cast and crew. In December 2019, the movement rented another flying banner ad, this time passing over Warner Bros. Studios and directly asking Sarnoff to release the Snyder Cut. In January 2020, the movement bought four-minutes of ad space advocating for the film's release on a digital banner wrapped around the interior of Riverside Stadium during the FA Cup. As of January 2020, the movement had raised more than $150,000 for the AFSP. Their efforts garnered praise from Snyder and from the AFSP.

However, members of the movement have also been described by members of the media as "toxic"    for harassing, threatening, and cyberbullying those who express opinions about the Snyder Cut that are contrary to their beliefs. Yohana Desta of Vanity Fair broadly described the act of fans demanding an alternative cut as a "modern pattern of audience demand that is actively making fandoms more toxic", and compared it to the 2017 harassment of Star Wars: The Last Jedi actress Kelly Marie Tran. Journalists are subjected to the kind of harassment experienced by Kayleigh Donaldson of Pajiba: through email, website comments and social-media direct messages. In September 2018, former DC Entertainment president Diane Nelson deleted her Twitter account after substantial online harassment by members of the movement. Warner Bros. telephone operators, inundated with regular calls about the "Snyder Cut", were trained to treat these inquiries as crank calls. Members of the movement tracked down Justice League stuntman Richard Cetrone to ask him questions about the Snyder Cut, only to digitally alter his response and spread on social media a fake text message that appeared to support their cause.

Brandon Katz of The New York Observer said that the movement was composed of "both toxic DC fans that hurl vitriolic harassment at any and all opposition, and supportive moviegoers that genuinely enjoy Snyder's style and are just hoping to see the conclusion of his trilogy that began with 2013's Man of Steel. As with any contingent, there are both extremists and level-headed individuals in its ranks." Bob Rehak, Swarthmore College Associate Professor and Chair of Film and Media Studies, said that fandoms such as #ReleaseTheSnyderCut revolt when a major change is made to something they love, and that this reaction usually comes from a smaller subsection of the fandom, which "[paints] the whole community with a really broad brush."

Revival and editing
In March 2019, after months of speculation, Snyder confirmed his original cut did exist, and stated that it was up to Warner Bros. to release it. In November, an insider claimed that Warner Bros. was unlikely to release Snyder's version in any form, calling such hopes a "pipe dream". However, the following month, Snyder posted a photo in his Vero account, showing boxes with tapes labeled "Z.S. J.L Director's cut", with the caption "Is it real? Does it exist? Of course it does." " According to Snyder, he initially imagined that his cut would never see a release, but snippets could potentially be included in a documentary.

Warner Bros. finally decided to move forward with the Snyder Cut in February 2020, after chairman Toby Emmerich acknowledged the #ReleaseTheSnyderCut movement and reached out to Snyder. The Snyders invited executives from Warner Bros., HBO Max, and DC to their home to view the Snyder Cut. Snyder also presented ideas, which included potentially releasing the cut in episodes. Impressed, the executives decided to let the project proceed. Snyder began to reassemble the film's original post-production team to finish the cut. The effort was almost thwarted by the COVID-19 pandemic, which was escalating around the time, but the Snyders pushed to continue with it. Snyder notified the original cast of the undertaking between April and May 2020; according to Snyder, Fisher initially thought he was joking.

Snyder, who had not yet seen the theatrical cut, described his cut as "an entirely new thing, and, especially talking to those who have seen the released movie, a new experience apart from that movie." The Snyders felt that being able to finally finish Justice League would bring them closure, and were excited by the prospect of expanding the film's character development. On May 20, 2020, Snyder announced during a Q&A after an online watch party of Man of Steel that Warner Bros. would be releasing his cut of Justice League as Zack Snyder's Justice League on HBO Max in 2021. At that point, it was unclear what format Zack Snyder's Justice League would take for the release, whether as a four-hour-long film or a six-part miniseries. The cut is expected to cost $20–30 million to complete the special effects, musical score, and editing.

Differences from the theatrical version
The following is an overview of major differences between the theatrical cut of Justice League and Snyder's cut. It is not an exhaustive list and dozens of other major and minor changes have been reported.

Characters removed or reduced
The theatrical cut entirely removed at least 10 characters from Snyder's original script. Snyder included a short scene where the Flash saved Iris West from a car accident. Ryan Choi / Atom appeared as a S.T.A.R. Labs scientist working with Silas Stone. Cyborg's mother Elinore Stone appeared in some flashback scenes. Aquaman's mentor Nuidis Vulko appeared in an underwater scene and a cut post-credits scene. Justice League antagonist Darkseid appeared in at least two or three scenes, while his follower Desaad played a minor role. Harry Lennix's character Calvin Swanwick from Man of Steel and Batman v Superman was planned to appear in a scene revealing he was secretly the shapeshifting alien Martian Manhunter. While the theatrical cut keeps the Mother Boxes as a plot device, Snyder included the detail that they contained Steppenwolf's mother, Heggra—a re-imagining of Heggra, Steppenwolf's stepsister from the comics. The supporting characters Silas Stone, Lex Luthor, Lois Lane, Mera, Ares, Zeus, and Antiope had multiple scenes cut or reduced, but still appear in the theatrical release.

Marc McClure, who played Jimmy Olsen in the Christopher Reeve Superman films, played Lois Lane's bodyguard throughout Snyder's cut but only makes a cameo appearance in the theatrical cut. Snyder had a non-speaking cameo in a cafe. Actor Sam Benjamin said he filmed 20–30 minutes worth of scenes for a military subplot that was cut from the theatrical release.

Additional lore
Several scenes introducing and exploring mythologies of the three new characters to the DCEU—the Flash, Aquaman, and Cyborg—were removed from the theatrical cut. In the "Snyder Cut", the Flash briefly learned how to travel through time and his relationship with Bruce Wayne was established as being "between someone who is naive and excited and someone who is experienced and jaded." Cyborg was described as the "heart" of the film and the original script had included additional scenes of his origin story and him being ripped in half by Steppenwolf. Aquaman had additional scenes exploring his backstory and Atlantean lore, including a scene involving Vulko and Mera that connected Justice League to the next DCEU film, Aquaman (2018). Though he supported the release of the Snyder Cut, Jason Momoa defended the removal of these scenes, stating: "There was no need for it because you're going to see it in Aquaman. It's not an Aquaman movie, it's a Justice League movie."

Superman's scenes
Most of Cavill's Superman scenes were re-shot by Whedon. Cavill's reshoots were scheduled around Paramount's Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018), a film for which he was contractually obligated to keep his mustache. Warner decided to digitally remove his mustache, but under a tight deadline, it resulted in an awkward-looking finished product. Nearly all of Superman's scenes throughout the entire film feature the CGI lip, suggesting they have all been re-shot. Following the young Superman portrayed in Man of Steel and the conflicted Superman portrayed in Batman v Superman, the version of Superman that appeared in Snyder's version was described as completing his story arc and becoming the "true" Superman as depicted in the comics. Oliva described Superman's behavior at the end of the film as "unhinged".

Flashback to the first invasion of Earth
The flashback scene illustrating Steppenwolf's first invasion of Earth against the Olympian Old Gods, Amazons, Atlanteans, Green Lantern Corps and humans was altered for the theatrical release. Snyder's version was longer, included Darkseid instead of Steppenwolf, a battle between Ares and Darkseid, additional footage of the Green Lantern Yalan Gur, and included dialog from most of these characters that was removed from the theatrical release. When Steppenwolf strikes his axe into the ground, it creates a glowing red symbol. Snyder's cut explained that this was a representation of the Anti-Life Equation, something that the theatrical cut never addresses.

Final battle in Russia
The final battle between the Justice League and Steppenwolf's army of Parademons was largely redone. Whedon added the reddish hue coloration, the root-like structures growing out of the ground, a redesign of Steppenwolf's base of operations inside the cooling tower, and the Russian family that the Flash saves. Batman played a larger role in the action in the "Snyder Cut". In the theatrical cut, Steppenwolf became afraid of the Justice League causing his Parademons to attack because they are drawn to the smell of fear—a plot device Whedon introduced both in this scene and the opening scene with Batman and the burglar. In Snyder's cut, Wonder Woman decapitated Steppenwolf before he could escape through a boom tube and on the other side of the tube was Darkseid, teasing his appearance in a sequel.

Release
Zack Snyder's Justice League is set to be released in 2021 on HBO Max.