Warner Bros. Should Release The Snyder Cut Of ‘Justice League’

It’s been nearly 20 months since Justice League was released in theaters, but fans are still clamoring for a release of Man of Steel and Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice director Zack Snyder’s cut of the film. Known as the “Snyder Cut” by the diehards that have strongly voiced their displeasure with Warner Bros., the director’s cut would deliver the vision Snyder had when he was initially tapped to create the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) of movies. Snyder left Justice League in post-production, and The Avengers director Joss Whedon took over and made major changes to the film.

 

Aside from the common daily criticism of Warner Bros. online, Snyder Cut supporters have started petitions that have received hundreds of thousands of signatures, and the #ReleaseTheSnyderCut hashtag recently went viral. And it’s not just fans that want the Snyder Cut, as the DCEU’s Aquaman, Jason Mamoa, has been clear that he is with the fans that want to see the Snyder Cut:

 

https://twitter.com/MTVNEWS/status/1071159918126755840?s=20

 

Mamoa isn’t one to hide his feelings, and you could tell by the way he said it that he genuinely wants the Snyder Cut to be released. Ray Fisher (Cyborg) also said he wants the Snyder Cut released, and apparently a lot of his character’s story (and the plot of other heroes) was cut from Justice League after Whedon took over. And the other actors like Henry Cavill (Superman) and Ben Affleck (Batman) have had only nice things to say about their former director.

 

Wonder Woman star Gal Gadot also holds Snyder in high regard:

 

Wow, this image takes me back! The amazing Zack Snyder took it on the first day we ever met. He believed I could be a superhero. Then I became Wonder Woman! #icansoidid pic.twitter.com/cJOHqnWSsA

— Gal Gadot (@GalGadot) February 19, 2019

 

Snyder was the main person that selected the stars like Gadot to play the DC heroes, and most viewers—whether they love or hate Snyder’s DCEU films—seem to be happy with the casting choices he made. All the actors are (or were in the case of Affleck and potentially Cavill) awesome. In terms of the look and attitudes of the characters, Snyder knocked it out of the park.

 

But in terms of film plot and tone, Batman v. Superman in particular was not well-liked by critics, despite many common non-film-critics that loved it (as supported by those in favor of the Snyder Cut being released). This was a big factor in disappointing box office performance, which was without question the main reason Warner Bros. went in another direction with their slate of superhero movies.

 

However, it is totally not right to cut up and essentially destroy Snyder’s vision after Justice League was nearly complete. Warner Bros. chose Snyder to lead their important franchise, and they should not have brought in Whedon, who obviously had a vastly different idea for how Justice League should be, adding more forced comedy similar to that of the Marvel franchise.

 

Messing with an artist’s vision simply isn’t right, and that’s what happened with Snyder. In general, it just didn’t make sense to not let Snyder finish what he started, as—love it or hate it—he had everything mapped out for the journey of each character.

 

At this point, with so many people (including stars of the film) that want to see the Snyder Cut, why not just release it? Would it make Warner Bros. look bad if the Snyder Cut is considered superior to the theatrical cut? It’s probably either that or the Snyder Cut isn’t as ready to release as its proponents want to believe. Either way, even an unfinished product would draw plenty of interest.

 

Some people have even put up some of their own money to help complete the visual effects to make the Snyder Cut as complete as possible. That might not actually make a dent for a necessary budget to get it done, but it does indicate that releasing the Snyder Cut would make money from people willing to see it in theaters or buy it in home video form.

 

The announcement video for WarnerMedia’s new streaming service HBO Max (which includes Warner Bros. and DC movies) showcases Justice League among the top content that will be available, so Warner Bros. is somewhat proud of the product Whedon ended up finishing. Unfortunately, that could be the death knell for us ever seeing some version of Snyder’s Justice League.

 

Or maybe HBO Max could be enough to push the Snyder Cut over the top. If WarnerMedia believes releasing Snyder’s vision is enough to get a bunch of subscribers (which would almost certainly be the case), it would be a good decision as they look to compete with Netflix and other streaming services.

 

The reason this is a discussion is because so many people—Mamoa and Fisher being two of them—are passionate about it. The only hope is that the support keeps going, maybe for years or decades. The Richard Donner director’s cut of Superman II took 26 years to release after a similar situation took place (the movie was made lighter under the new director), and some might believe the Snyder Cut is worth that long of a wait.