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[ManaByte]

‘Justice League’: The Shocking, Exhilarating, Heartbreaking True Story of #TheSnyderCut

A demoralizing battle with Warner Bros. A devastating personal tragedy. A fan base he couldn’t control. Zack Snyder tells V.F. why he quit ‘Justice League,’ and why he’s returned to complete a cut that’s reached near-mythical status.

www.vanityfair.com

But harsh reviews for Batman v Superman demolished Warner Bros.’ confidence in Snyder. Even the director’s champions, like production head Greg Silverman, were worried. “When Batman v Superman came out and we did get a negative reaction from the fans, it was disheartening for all of us,” says Silverman, now the founder and head of independent content company Stampede Ventures. “Zack had made these movies, like 300, that were such crowd-pleasers. And that was our job—to make crowd-pleasers. And here, we have made a movie together, and it didn’t really please the audience.”

Snyder knew why Johns and Berg were on the set. “You could say babysit,” he says. Many filmmakers would have bristled at the intrusion, but he was gracious. “It didn’t bother me too much because they weren’t that threatening. I just felt the ideas they did have, where they were trying to inject humor and stuff like that, it wasn’t anything that was too outrageous.”

Snyder just nuked the "Geoff Johns is a snake" toxic narrative from orbit.

Snyder wanted a Bruce Wayne/Lois romance:

But Warner Bros. did nix some of his more sweeping notions for Justice League, like adding a romance between Ben Affleck’s Bruce Wayne and Amy Adams’s Lois Lane, who was mourning Superman’s death in the previous film. “The intention was that Bruce fell in love with Lois and then realized that the only way to save the world was to bring Superman back to life,” says Snyder. “So he had this insane conflict, because Lois, of course, was still in love with Superman. We had this beautiful speech where [Bruce] said to Alfred: ‘I never had a life outside the cave. I never imagined a world for me beyond this. But this woman makes me think that if I can get this group of gods together, then my job is done. I can quit. I can stop.’ And of course that doesn’t work out for him.”

WB nukes Whedon:

Whedon rewrote and reshot about three quarters of Justice League, from what Snyder can gather. When fans ask him about details of the movie that bears his name, he usually has no idea what they are talking about. Worst of all, for Warner Bros., Whedon didn’t exactly save the movie. “When we got to see what Joss actually did, it was stupefying,” says a studio executive, who requested anonymity. “The robber on the rooftop—so goofy and awful. The Russian family—so useless and pointless. Everyone knew it. It was so awkward because nobody wanted to admit what a piece of shit it was.”

A noxious contingent of followers, though, didn’t just advocate for the movie, but also used social media to attack people who were critical of Snyder or their cause. Maybe they hoped to silence dissenters, or maybe they were just trolls being trolls. In any case, film journalists with negative takes reported getting swarmed with insults and even threats. “Unfortunately, I think a lot of online fandom and fandom culture is headed in this very toxic direction,” says Kayleigh Donaldson, who writes for Pajiba.com. It is especially strong from Snyder cut acolytes, she adds, perhaps because they respond misguidedly to the director’s tales of loner heroes in a hostile world. “I don’t get this from the Birds of Prey fans or the Shazam fans,” says Donaldson. “I got a little bit from Joker fans but nowhere near the same level.” Nonetheless, she’s looking forward to Snyder’s movie: “I think 300 is great fun. I think the first 10 minutes of Watchmen are some of the best things any superhero movie has ever done.” Even if she doesn’t end up liking the Snyder cut, she says, “I would rather watch one person’s chaos than a committee’s snooze-fest.”

ZACK SNYDER FINALLY DENOUNCES THE SNYDERCUT MOVEMENT TOXICITY!

The trolls may have actually held back the movement, like looters at an otherwise peaceful demonstration. Snyder cringes at descriptions of the abusive tactics. “I 100 percent think it’s wrong,” he says. “I don’t think that anyone should be calling anyone anything. I’ve always tried to give people in the fandom attention who do good things.”

 

[oagboghi2]

Omg why do you care so much more about twitter replies than the actual film?

 

[SirKicksalot]

adding a romance between Ben Affleck’s Bruce Wayne and Amy Adams’s Lois Lane, who was mourning Superman’s death in the previous film. “The intention was that Bruce fell in love with Lois and then realized that the only way to save the world was to bring Superman back to life,” says Snyder. “So he had this insane conflict, because Lois, of course, was still in love with Superman. We had this beautiful speech where [Bruce] said to Alfred: ‘I never had a life outside the cave. I never imagined a world for me beyond this. But this woman makes me think that if I can get this group of gods together, then my job is done. I can quit. I can stop.’ And of course that doesn’t work out for him.”

I was stunned by what a retarded idea a Bruce-Lois romance is, but reading the passage again it doesn't actually sound like a romance. I guess I can see how it fits this older Batman but I don't think anyone wants to see it, especially with Lois Lane (and absolutely not with this boring Lois Lane).

Man, l watched Justice League last Sunday and I already forgot most of it. This person in the article is basically me:

Even if she doesn’t end up liking the Snyder cut, she says, “I would rather watch one person’s chaos than a committee’s snooze-fest.”

 

[ManaByte]

I was stunned by what a retarded idea a Bruce-Lois romance is, but reading the passage again it doesn't actually sound like a romance. I guess I can see how it fits this older Batman but I don't think anyone wants to see it, especially with Lois Lane (and absolutely not with this boring Lois Lane).

Well now we know what Lois was doing in the Batcave. Because in the original script Darkseid boom-tubes into the Batcave and kills Lois.

 

[Rentahamster]

“The robber on the rooftop—so goofy and awful. The Russian family—so useless and pointless. Everyone knew it. It was so awkward because nobody wanted to admit what a piece of shit it was.”

The movie was so bad I must have purged those parts from my memory. I don't even recall those things from the movie.

 

[Nikana]

Isnt there a book coming out about this as well?

 

[ManaByte]

Isnt there a book coming out about this as well?

Written by the guy from Cinemablend, one of the biggest clickbait sites on the internet.

Anthony Breznican is probably the best entertainment writer at the moment, so this article is probably better than that book.

 

[Nikana]

Written by the guy from Cinemablend, one of the biggest clickbait sites on the internet.

Anthony Breznican is probably the best entertainment writer at the moment, so this article is probably better than that book.

Good to know. Cinemablend used to be awesome when I was like 15. Sad.

 

[FunkMiller]

The real villains in this shit show really are the people at WB.

They hired the wrong guy, gave him way too much leeway, then shat on him from a great height when he failed with BvS, and after a family tragedy, and then put out a piece of shit that was highly insulting to everyone.

The Snyder Cut will probably still end up being shit, but it’s the right end to this story and justice for Snyder.

 

[LordCBH]

Goddamn. What a damn article.

 

[SirKicksalot]

He has reshot the ending with a hero cameo that will blow hard-core fans’ minds.

Tom Cruise Green Lantern lol

 

[ManaByte]

Tom Cruise Green Lantern lol

He only turned that down because in the original GL Corps script, Hal died.

 

[TriSuit666]

It’s presented in 4:3? Ugghh, Zack…

 

[pauljeremiah]

It’s presented in 4:3? Ugghh, Zack…

But the film was shot and framed for 4:3, so what's the problem?

16:9

4:3

 

[TriSuit666]

But the film was shot and framed for 4:3, so what's the problem?

16:9

4:3

Not sure that many IMAX ratio screens exist in homes that I know of, unless you’re privy to some secret Illuminati info…

(I read the article to the end too, he’s done that for the IMAX points)

 

[kittoo]

Once they hired Snyder, all this was destined to fail. Of course its easy for me to say on hindsight, but the fact remains that Snyder just didn't get Superman.

 

[Yui's Empire]

Man, l watched Justice League last Sunday and I already forgot most of it. This person in the article is basically me:

Yeah, that quote says it all really. Batman v Superman had many flaws, but the Director's Cut was a coherent and enjoyable movie despite everything, with a clear vision, plot and direction. Its biggest issues, to me, lie in the fact that the story should not have been the second movie in the DCEU, but should have been preceded by AT LEAST another Man of Steel to set up Luthor and the JL members, at least a Batman movie to set up Robin, Wonder Woman should have came before, and so on. The result is Snyder having to set up the various movies' worth of lore and still having to deliver a pretty big plot, which resulted in a lot of confusion and underexplained aspects.

And yet, all in all, it was entertaining in that form. It was trying to do something relatively new and ambitious in the world of superhero movies, something most of the older DC movies or Marvel flicks don't do (as much as I enjoy a Marvel flick, they take exactly 0 risks: they aim for the formula and execute it, no deviation possible). Was it a bit of a mess? Sure. But I'd rather take ambitious chaos than boring order. The Snyder Cut will be basically that: Snyder's vision uncompromised by WB's needs and expectations. It does not have to be a box office success anymore, Marvel is no longer in sight, classic superhero tropes be damned. It Snyder unchained, and it may even be a mess, but it's gonna be big and entertaining for sure.

 

[BadBurger]

I mean, at the end of the day Snyder is a good film maker. He made the best zombie movie ever in my opinion, his visuals are unique. His writing is iffy, but far from the worst out there. I think Batman v Superman sank him more than anything. That was just a dreary, shitty film. Souless. Too long. It ended stupidly. It's really hard to recover from that, and WB doubling down and releasing this cut of a bomb isn't helping things.

They should have just let it die.

Also Geoff Johns might write a banger comic once in a while but it's clear all of his films and TV shows aside from the first Wonder Woman suck wholesale ass. They need to send him back off into comic land too.

 

[Shubh_C63]

All I know is, after all this..the new cut better be.mind blowing.

Making it 4 hours long pretty much guarantees positive user reviews though.

 

[Dacon]

ZACK SNYDER FINALLY DENOUNCES THE SNYDERCUT MOVEMENT TOXICITY!

It's so fucking stupid that people felt like he needed to do this.

I'm so tired of this retarded culture.

 

[Azurro]

ZACK SNYDER FINALLY DENOUNCES THE SNYDERCUT MOVEMENT TOXICITY!

You are so, so strange, it's like you are one of those cheerleaders that says everything the studios say is amazing and incredible. Like the people Red Letter Media makes fun of: "Consume products, don't ask questions, then get ready to consume more products".

Btw, that quote does not say that he's denouncing whatever that movement is, but that he gives attention to the people that perform good actions and shun whoever is doing reprehensible ones.

I'm not too familiar with the "release the Snyder cut" people, but given how the media paints the sizeable amount of people that hated Star Wars as "-ists", it's funny you attempting to do the same for those guys.

 

[Mahadev]

Once they hired Snyder, all this was destined to fail. Of course its easy for me to say on hindsight, but the fact remains that Snyder just didn't get Superman.

Who gives a fuck, Superman and other comic book heroes have been done to death, why shouldn't someone make a different Superman that isn't the boring boy scout Superman always was? Judge the movie on its own merits and stop encouraging the Hollywood hacks to remake the same character again and again without even an attempt at innovation. Maybe Snyder was trying to create a character arch through many movies where Superman learns to be Superman, it's certainly much better than Superman's entire fucking character being that he's the benevolent demi-God which honestly is so goddamn dull.

 

[kittoo]

Who gives a fuck, Superman and other comic book heroes have been done to death, why shouldn't someone make a different Superman that isn't the boring boy scout Superman always was? Judge the movie on its own merits and stop encouraging the Hollywood hacks to remake the same character again and again without even an attempt at innovation. Maybe Snyder was trying to create a character arch through many movies where Superman learns to be Superman, it's certainly much better than Superman's entire fucking character being that he's the benevolent demi-God which honestly is so goddamn dull.

You have a point in the sense that certainly new angles on a character can be tried and by itself thats not a problem.
But it did become a problem when the movies (especially BvS and JL, MoS was OK) were pieces of shit and absolute garbage. I guess its true that if the movies were really good then it wouldnt have mattered.

I was hype as fuck after watching the trailers for MoS though. To me those trailers were captured Superman perfectly. I thought Snyder had nailed it. Then came the crushing disappointment. And then came BvS. What a piece of shit movie.

 

[Mahadev]

You have a point in the sense that certainly new angles on a character can be tried and by itself thats not a problem.
But it did become a problem when the movies (especially BvS and JL, MoS was OK) were pieces of shit and absolute garbage. I guess its true that if the movies were really good then it wouldnt have mattered.

I was hype as fuck after watching the trailers for MoS though. To me those trailers were captured Superman perfectly. I thought Snyder had nailed it. Then came the crushing disappointment. And then came BvS. What a piece of shit movie.

MoS for me was a very good movie and continues to stand on its own despite what complete disasters the other movies turned out to be. It has amazing action, a soundtrack that is an actual masterpiece, pretty innovative direction and a lead character that that is both interesting and has decent character development (for a comic book movie anyway). Personally I'll take that over the generic capeshit we've been flooded with the last few years any time of the day.

 

[ZehDon]

I really quite enjoyed MoS, and even BvS Ultimate Edition - it added in a lot of the connective tissue that was missing from the theatrical cut. They're not perfect, far from it, but enjoyable films that tried to do something interesting things. I was bummed walking out of Justice League; we'd never get to see what could've been had Snyder and co had one last shot at making something interesting. Did they learn from BvS' short comings? Did they double down on all the wrong elements? Would it be as good as 300 or Watchmen, or as terrible as Suckerpunch? I'm in, if for no other reason than to watch a big, loud, expensive train wreck I never thought we'd get to see. I can't imagine it'd be much worse than the Justice League we did get.

 

[ManaByte]

Also Geoff Johns might write a banger comic once in a while but it's clear all of his films and TV shows aside from the first Wonder Woman suck wholesale ass. They need to send him back off into comic land too.

Doom Patrol is awesome.

 

[kittoo]

MoS for me was a very good movie and continues to stand on its own despite what complete disasters the other movies turned out to be. It has amazing action, a soundtrack that is an actual masterpiece, pretty innovative direction and a lead character that that is both interesting and has decent character development (for a comic book movie anyway). Personally I'll take that over the generic capeshit we've been flooded with the last few years any time of the day.

The soundtrack is indeed God-tier. Agreed.

 

[Woo-Fu]

All I know is, after all this..the new cut better be.mind blowing.

Making it 4 hours long pretty much guarantees positive user reviews though.

Seems like a perfect time for a 4-hour movie, now that we aren't trapped in theaters for new releases. You can take as many breaks as you need, with pauses, when streaming it in the comfort of your own home.

 

[Kimahri]

Why do people have faith in him? Has he ever made a good movie? He's such a bad director that the almost unknown sequel to his big 300 movie turned out the better film.

Most overrated director out there. Every movie is a boring, long, slog.

 

[Hugare]

MoS for me was a very good movie and continues to stand on its own despite what complete disasters the other movies turned out to be. It has amazing action, a soundtrack that is an actual masterpiece, pretty innovative direction and a lead character that that is both interesting and has decent character development (for a comic book movie anyway). Personally I'll take that over the generic capeshit we've been flooded with the last few years any time of the day.

MoS was awesome

It had way more heart and soul than most superhero movies being released nowadays.

Zod was an incredible vilain, movie was great visually, soundtrack was epic, loved the character development ...

Wasn't flawless, but to me, it was better than 90% of Marvel's output, seriously.

And Watchmen is top 3 best superhero movies of all time. So I know that Snyder has it in him somewhere.

 

[dorkimoe]

Executives need to just stay out and let the people they hire do the work.

 

[Rockmaninoff]

“The robber on the rooftop—so goofy and awful. The Russian family—so useless and pointless. Everyone knew it. It was so awkward because nobody wanted to admit what a piece of shit it was.”

The movie was so bad I must have purged those parts from my memory. I don't even recall those things from the movie.

I don't remember the robber on the rooftop, but I remember the Russian family. They were totally pointless and they spent so much time on them. I kept waiting for something meaningful to happen with them, but it never did.

 

[Dacon]

Why do people have faith in him? Has he ever made a good movie? He's such a bad director that the almost unknown sequel to his big 300 movie turned out the better film.

Most overrated director out there. Every movie is a boring, long, slog.

Man of Steel, 300, Dawn of the Dead, and Watchmen were all fairly entertaining. Of course I'm not looking for some sort of religious experience from a film. 300 Rise of the Empire was not at all unknown, and Snyder is credited as both a writer and producer on that film, the film was simply not as highly rated, so it was pretty forgettable for most audiences.

 

[Kimahri]

Man of Steel, 300, Dawn of the Dead, and Watchmen were all fairly entertaining. Of course I'm not looking for some sort of religious experience from a film. 300 Rise of the Empire was not at all unknown, and Snyder is credited as both a writer and producer on that film, the film was simply not as highly rated, so it was pretty forgettable for most audiences.

Those movies sucked. Sucker punch was even worse though.

 

[Dacon]

Those movies sucked. Sucker punch was even worse though.

Yeah cause that's written in stone.

 

[Kimahri]

Yeah cause that's written in stone.

I could if you gave le a chisel

 

[SlimySnake]

Why do people have faith in him? Has he ever made a good movie? He's such a bad director that the almost unknown sequel to his big 300 movie turned out the better film.

Most overrated director out there. Every movie is a boring, long, slog.

Watchmen was fantastic. I dont know what you are talking about.

Man of Steel and 300 both have some very memorable scenes.

People like his movies for his visual flair and soundtracks. No one is going out there expecting comic book movies to be citizen kane. Everyone eats up marvel movies because they are fun forgettable romps. His movies are no different except for the fact that his movies look and sound far better than those marvel movies.

 

[VulcanRaven]

I was stunned by what a retarded idea a Bruce-Lois romance is, but reading the passage again it doesn't actually sound like a romance. I guess I can see how it fits this older Batman but I don't think anyone wants to see it, especially with Lois Lane (and absolutely not with this boring Lois Lane).

They had romance in the 1997 Superman/Batman animated movie. I wouldn't have anything against it if one right.

 

[Kimahri]

Watchmen was fantastic. I dont know what you are talking about.

Man of Steel and 300 both have some very memorable scenes.

People like his movies for his visual flair and soundtracks. No one is going out there expecting comic book movies to be citizen kane. Everyone eats up marvel movies because they are fun forgettable romps. His movies are no different except for the fact that his movies look and sound far better than those marvel movies.

I don't want citizen kane and I can't stand Marvel. Just give me something entertaining. He's a horrible director with no sense of pacing and tension. 300 was one of my most anticipated movies, but turned out to be a 2 hour long music video in slow motion.

His concepts are fine, I've generally been interested. And scripts are sometimes fine too. It's his work as a director that bores me to death.