Zack Snyder himself has teased that the so-called Snyder Cut of Justice League may get a theatrical release. Posting on Vero, Snyder said fans should keep their eyes peeled for an announcement.
“Want to see ZSJL on the big screen….stay tuned for a date,” he said.
2017’s Justice League earned more than $660 million at the global box office, but it was not received very positively by critics. In 2021, the Snyder Cut was released on HBO Max (now known as Max), delivering a version of the film that Snyder said was more in line with his vision. The critic and fan review scores for the Snyder Cut were comparatively stronger.
“You probably saw one-fourth of what I did,” the director said of the original theatrical cut of the movie.
Snyder left Justice League before it was finished due to the death of his daughter, with The Avengers director Joss Whedon stepping in to finish the movie.
The Snyder Cut is tangled up with toxic fandom as well, as the “Release the Snyder Cut” campaign led to harassment and vitriol on social media aimed at critics and workers at Warner Bros., including former DC Film boss Geoff Johns. The campaign also targeted entertainment journalists who covered the news of the fan campaign to release the Snyder Cut.
Snyder himself has called some of his fans toxic for their behavior regarding Justice League and fandom in general. He received death threats, for example, and he said he doesn’t condone bad behavior like that, but noted that some fans used their passion to help raise money and awareness to mental health.
“In the case of Justice League, they lined up. They said, ‘There’s a movie out there that we want to see.’ And it’s around a struggle that we had as a family. All of it came together. People are like, ‘The fandom is toxic.’ ‘They were so angry to get the cut.’ Also, people’s lives were saved by the money that those kids raised. Literal lives. Real, tangible lives were saved by that money that those kids that you say were ‘toxic fans,'” he said. “They’re also responsible for the saving of lives. You have to acknowledge it. If you don’t, the legacy they were able to create is dismissed. I won’t. I can’t.”
Snyder said he sees his films as being “markers of time” and events, including the death of his daughter.
“I lost my daughter to suicide. I left the movie famously. The thing that I come back to when I look at the movies is that movies are really these markers of time, even though they sort of transcend time, weirdly. They exist beyond the time they were recorded,” he said. “The thing you hope is that in the end, the markers meant something to people.”
In more recent times, Snyder has been focused on his Rebel Moon series for Netflix. The movie is getting a director’s cut in August, so it’s a busy time for fans wanting to see Snyder Cuts of his movies.
If you’re struggling with mental health, you can called the 988 Lifeline to receive 24/7 support on a free and confidential basis. More crisis resources are available here.
