Zack Snyder has revealed the first footage from his eagerly anticipated director’s cut of Justice League.
The footage shows Diana Prince (Gal Gadot) looking at an artifact by torchlight while Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg) forebodingly narrates and then cuts to footage of the supervillain Darkseid — a character played by Ray Porter (Argo) who was cut from the film’s original theatrical release.
HBO Max and Warner Bros. Pictures announced recently that they will exclusively premiere Snyder’s cut of the DC film on the streaming service in 2021. Fans have been rallying to #ReleaseTheSnyderCut since the theatrical version was released in 2017.
Snyder helmed 2013’s Man of Steel and 2016’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice before setting his sights on the climactic Justice League, an ambitious title bringing together six DC heroes and potentially launching a new string of films à la Marvel’s The Avengers.
Six months before the film’s release, Snyder stepped down from the film after suffering a personal family tragedy. Warner Bros. hired Joss Whedon (The Avengers) for extensive rewriting and reshoots that significantly altered the film, along with swapping Junkie XL’s soundtrack for a new one by Danny Elfman.
When Justice League was released, critics were scathing (a 40 percent on Rotten Tomatoes). The box office was disappointing given the genre’s high standards ($657 million). And Warner Bros. dramatically shifted its future plans (Ben Affleck was replaced as Batman by Robert Pattinson; a Flash movie announced for 2018 was delayed; a Cyborg movie scheduled for 2020 and then shelved).
Soon began a drumbeat of fans online wanting to see the “Snyder Cut.” Snyder himself released images from deleted scenes that have added fuel to the movement, as did conflicting yet supportive comments made by cast and crew about the cut’s existence. Affleck, Gadot, Jason Momoa (Aquaman), and Ray Fisher (Cyborg) have all urged releasing the cut on social media.