A fabled director’s cut of 2017’s Justice League got a boost on Sunday, the second anniversary of the film’s release.
In May 2017, filmmaker Zack Snyder stepped down as director of Justice League after the death of his daughter, Autumn Snyder, so he could be with his family. Director Joss Whedon boarded the Warner Bros./DC superhero team-up movie to write new scenes and to complete the project through reshoots.
Justice League earned a disappointing $657.9 million globally, and fans have always wondered what could have been had Snyder completed his vision. In the intervening years, there has been a groundswell of fans asking Warner Bros. to release the “Snyder Cut,” a rumored version of Justice League that seemed unlikely to ever see the light of day (that is, assuming it even existed).
Yet the call for the Snyder Cut has continued to capture the imagination of a segment of fandom for the past two years, and in recent weeks it has come to the forefront once again.
Aquaman star Jason Momoa added fuel to the fire this month by reiterating comments he has made over the years — saying that he’d seen the cut.
And on Sunday, Gal Gadot, who played Wonder Woman in Justice League, tweeted “#ReleasetheSnyderCut.” The film’s Cyborg actor Ray Fisher also lent his support. A few hours later, Snyder himself retweeted Gadot, and Batman actor Ben Affleck added his voice to the mix soon after.
Despite the groundswell and speculation that a Snyder Cut could go to Warner Bros.’ upcoming streaming service HBO Max, insiders tell The Hollywood Reporter no announcement of a release of any such cut is imminent.
Still, Snyder and his stars calling for its release is noteworthy, and observers note the choreographed nature of Sunday’s tweets could be part of a campaign to show Warner Bros. there is an appetite for the cut among the public.
“This ancient Amazonian can’t be wrong,” Snyder tweeted in response to Gadot’s comments, adding of Affleck’s words: “Neither can Batman.”
– The Hollywood Reporter