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[ManaByte]

Exclusive: Fake Accounts Fueled the 'Snyder Cut' Online Army

A WarnerMedia report reveals that inauthentic users bolstered the fan-led campaign for director Zack Snyder’s 'Justice League' do-over.

www.rollingstone.com

Really long article that references a report commissioned by WarnerMedia.

On June 26, 2020, Snyder had had enough. According to multiple sources familiar with the matter, Snyder confronted an executive in the studio’s postproduction department and issued a threat: “Geoff and Jon are dragging their feet on taking their names off my cut. Now, I will destroy them on social media.”

According to two reports commissioned by WarnerMedia and recently obtained by Rolling Stone, at least 13 percent of the accounts that took part in the conversation about the Snyder Cut were deemed fake, well above the three to five percent that cyber experts say they typically see on any trending topic. (In public filings, Twitter has estimated that the percentage of daily active accounts on its platform that are “false or spam” is less than five percent.) So while Snyder had scores of authentic, flesh-and-blood fans, those real stans were amplified by a disproportionate number of bogus accounts.

Two firms contacted by Rolling Stone that track the authenticity of social media campaigns, Q5id and Graphika, also spotted inauthentic activity coming from the SnyderVerse community. And yet another firm, Alethea Group, found that the forsnydercut.com domain — which claims to have made the #ReleaseTheSnyderCut hashtag go viral in May of 2018, and became the landing hub for efforts to bring Snyder back to the helm of the DC universe — was, at least at one point, registered to a person who also ran a now-defunct ad agency which promoted its ability to bring “cheap, instant Avatar traffic to your website.”

The reports had taken on a mythic status within Warner Bros. Some doubted they even existed. But a small group at the parent company did have access to them. The main report, dated April 2021 and titled “SnyderCut
Social Media Presence,” offers a chilling glimpse inside the powerful movement.

“After researching online conversations about the Snyder Cut of the Justice League‘s release, specifically the hashtags ‘ReleaseTheSnyderCut’ and ‘RestoreTheSnyderVerse’ on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, [the analysts] detected an increase in negative activity created by both real and fake authors,” the report concluded. “One identified community was made up of real and fake authors that spread negative content about WarnerMedia for not restoring the ‘SnyderVerse.’ Additionally, three main leaders were identified within the authors scanned on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram — one leader on each platform. These leaders received the highest amount of engagement and have many followers, which gives them the ability to influence public opinion.” Furthermore, the report stated, many authors were spreading “harmful content” about then-Warner Bros. chairman Ann Sarnoff (who had called the fan trolling “reprehensible” in an interview with Variety), “with the majority of authors calling her a liar for the claim that there is no Snyder Cut of the movie and called for Warner Media to fire her. These authors also started using the hashtag ‘BoycottWarnerBros.’” Another internal report found an active sub-community that was attacking Johns.

The article citing the reports from WB goes into detail never released about how Snyder was working on cuts while Whedon was doing stuff at the same time.

Around this time, sources say, Snyder sent one of his editors to the studio to retrieve hard drives that contained materials for Justice League. Snyder was asked to return them, considering they were studio property. He balked. (Snyder says he was contractually entitled to files connected with the film, that the materials were for “my personal use” and that he was not asked to return them at that time.) Security was notified, sources say, but no action was taken. No one expected Snyder to begin tinkering with an alternate cut of the film.

The ad agency allegation:

But a new force was rising: the SnyderVerse army. Forsnydercut.com, one of the loudest and most influential voices in online Snyder fandom, made its debut in late December 2017, and, according to both the site and the main report commissioned by WarnerMedia, played an influential role in making the Twitter hashtag #ReleaseTheSnyderCut go viral.

It’s unclear who, precisely, is behind the site. Four participants are listed there as its developers, including a self-identified fan and site founder who purports to be from China named Fiona Zheng. The site was originally registered using a privacy service in December 2017, but web registration records show that, during a brief lapse in the privacy protection from mid March to mid-October 2021, a digital marketing consultant named Xavier Lannes was listed as the registrant of forsnydercut.com. The social media analytics firm Alethea tells Rolling Stone that it is highly unlikely that ownership changed hands before or after that period.

A LinkedIn account for Lannes, who is not mentioned on forsnydercut.com, identifies him as the CEO of a Los Angeles-based digital ad firm called MyAdGency. The website MyAdGency.com is no longer active, but an archived version of the site touted such services as bringing “cheap, instant Avatar traffic to your website.” The agency boasted: “We use the latest technology concentrated in the palm of your customer’s hands to grow your business beyond your wildest dreams!” Snyder denies knowing or ever hiring Lannes; Lannes did not respond to a request for comment. Zheng, meanwhile, despite prolific tweeting about Snyder from 2016 up until the day of the Snyder Cut’s release in 2021, has posted just twice since then. A query to Zheng went unanswered.

WB was planning to use Martian Manhunter elsewhere:

That same month, a battle was also brewing between Snyder and DC Films president Walter Hamada over a Snyder Cut arc involving the character Martian Manhunter. Sources say the character never appeared in the script, leaving the studio blindsided. Hamada demanded the footage not be used; DC had other plans for Martian Manhunter and didn’t want him wasted in two random scenes.

It ended up costing WB $100M to finish and market:

In a move that dismayed studio insiders, Kilar overruled Sarnoff and allowed Martian Manhunter to appear in the Snyder Cut. The director was also given the $13 million he’d been demanding in production costs. That brought the studio’s total expenditure on the film to $73 million, before marketing costs put it over the $100 million mark. “That’s $73 million while people were losing their jobs at the studio for a director’s cut of a film that already lost hundreds of millions,” notes an insider. (Snyder says “The studio never would have released my version of Justice League unless it made financial/business sense for them.”)

There’s ALOT more in the article, again it’s long, but naturally Rolling Stone is being torched over it right now.

 

[AyyyLmao420]

shit like this is so sleazy and also proves that people will jump on a bandwagon as long as its trending and gaining traction. Its like a bunch of mindless drones supporting something just because they see others supporting it. Its like a psyche test

 

[Jennings]

Good. It's nice to see someone fight for control of their work.

 

[Burning Blade]

I enjoyed the Snyder Cut.

 

[Soodanim]

Never got round to seeing it, so I don't know if it it was worth it. But Hollywood is a mini world full of egos, and sometimes it takes drastic stuff like this for people to make things happen.

Look at Deadpool. It took Ryan Reynolds and his 2 mates leaking test footage to prove to studio executives that people wanted tha

It took a heavily manipulated campaign to get the Snyder Cut released, and people seemed to like it so perhaps it was worth it.

I can't find how much the cut made the studio, so the insider claims that the $100m while people were losing their jobs falls flat with me until I have a number to put it against. Blame the company for firing people, they will almost certainly had the money to support the jobs. I doubt that big Hollywood studios are living from paycheque to paycheque.

 

[Konnor]

Good for him, unlike that studio approved trash his cut was actually fun and interesting to watch.

 

[SJRB]

So what? Snyder was very vocal about a Snyder Cut from pretty much the very beginning.

 

[ArtHands]

i am not shock that he manufactured the bulk of the demand artificially

 

[EviLore]

Good for him. It was the far superior film and he managed to get it into the world.

 

[FunkMiller]

I mean, it sounds like Snyder was acting immaturely about the whole thing (no surprises there... that immaturity is invariably reflected in his work) but then WB did royally screw him over on Justice League, and the leadership at the studio is clearly god fucking awful in almost every respect. The sheer fact remains that he should never have been the man to create or guide the DC cinematic universe in the first place.

This all sounds like a really good example of why you should never trust anything you see on social media. The sooner companies and governments understand that, the better off we'll all be.

 

[AV]

Actually pretty funny. And shit, why not? Can we have Paul W.S. Anderson pumping #ReleaseTheEventHorizonLostFootage next please?

 

[Nobody_Important]

I don't blame him, but this feels like a "well duh" kind of headline.


I had always assumed the whole "Snyder Cut" movement was mostly carried out by either bots or doubled up accounts.

 

[Revolutionary]

Spoiler: most 'movements' are spearheaded by bots, because people who use social media are easily manipulated

 

[Hawking Radiation]

Actually pretty funny. And shit, why not? Can we have Paul W.S. Anderson pumping #ReleaseTheEventHorizonLostFootage next please?

Bro that shit's deteriorated in some saltmine to the point of not being usable anymore so it's lost forever.
Its painful but how this footage could've been so mishandled blows my mind to this day.
My body aches for a directors cut of Event Horizon.

 

[OmegaSupreme]

There are countless Synder fan cult groups on Facebook that I have to tell them not to show me constantly. They're a dedicated bunch of nerds for sure. Dedicated to incredible mediocrity but dedicated nonetheless. I'm not surprised that it was pushed by bots so hard. I thought we knew this.

 

[SirKicksalot]

December 2020, per Rolling Stone:

That same month, a battle was also brewing between Snyder and DC Films president Walter Hamada over a Snyder Cut arc involving the character Martian Manhunter. Sources say the character never appeared in the script, leaving the studio blindsided.

September 2019:

He was supposed to shoot his scenes in London in 2016 until BvS bombed and Warner put a leash on Snyder, then he was meant to be a green screen pick-up in LA but that never happened. The prior conversation was shot on schedule.

 

[Lady Jane]

The Snyder cut sucked too.

 

[ManaByte]

I can't find how much the cut made the studio, so the insider claims that the $100m while people were losing their jobs falls flat with me until I have a number to put it against.

The article addresses that without a number when talking about the review bombing of Godzilla vs. Kong and Gunn's The Suicide Squad:

Even after the film opened, random bystanders continued to be hit by the SnyderVerse shrapnel. When fans review-bombed Adam Wingard’s Godzilla vs. Kong, sources say the director asked Snyder through an intermediary to tell his fans to stand down — and that Snyder refused. (Snyder says he was never asked to have his fans stand down, adding: “Furthermore, I do not control my fans. They have their own will and their own opinions; you really give me too much credit.”) Another source says Warner Bros. successfully lobbied IMDb, which includes user reviews, to weed out trolls targeting Godzilla vs. Kong. (Wingard declined comment.) Similarly, factions of the SnyderVerse army review-bombed James Gunn’s Suicide Squad four months later, motivating the director to acknowledge the mob on Twitter: “I’ll live — stuff like this means nothing in the big picture. (And important to point out most the SnyderCut fans have been supportive, it’s only a few who feel it’s worthwhile spending their time doing stuff like this.)” Ultimately, both films outperformed Snyder Cut on HBO Max.

Box Office: ‘Godzilla vs. Kong’ Defeats Pandemic With $48.5M U.S. Start, Hits $285.4M Globally

The tentpole exceeded all expectations and by far devoured the biggest opening at the domestic box office since the COVID-19 crisis struck. Globally, it hit a huge $285.4 million on Easter Sunday.

www.hollywoodreporter.com

HBO Max didn’t release viewership numbers, but said the film has had a larger viewing audience in its first four days than any other film or show since the launch of the streaming service.

They spent $100M in the hopes of the millions of people spamming those hashtags signing up for HBO Max. Due to WarnerMedia commissioning these reports that discovered the bots, the number was probably A LOT lower than they were expecting based on the social media presence.

 

[FunkMiller]

They spent $100M in the hopes of the millions of people spamming those hashtags signing up for HBO Max. Due to WarnerMedia commissioning these reports that discovered the bots, the number was probably A LOT lower than they were expecting based on the social media presence.

The fact WB have now completely moved away from the Snyderverse as much as possible rather indicates the Snyder Cut wasn’t anything like the success some wanted it to be.

Mind you, what they’re left with on the DCEU is still clearly a fucking disaster. Thoroughly deserved.

 

[It's all in the wrist]

I'm glad it got released.

 

[ManaByte]

The fact WB have now completely moved away from the Snyderverse as much as possible rather indicates the Snyder Cut wasn’t anything like the success some wanted it to be.

The article mentions a settlement between WB and Snyder last August when Snyder finally returned the hard drives. That must be when they told him he'd never work for them again:

The studio’s plans for the DC Extended Universe no longer involve Snyder, who finally returned the Justice League materials he’d confiscated following a settlement reached with the studio in August 2021.

 

[ManaByte]

Mind you, what they’re left with on the DCEU is still clearly a fucking disaster. Thoroughly deserved.

The rumor going around though is that Discovery wants to change that. They claim that Discovery wants to scrap all of the JJ Abrams Superman shit and make Cavill's Superman the center of a new DCEU and build everything around him. That won't stop another headless Superman cameo in Black Adam, but it seems like Discovery wants to fix it.

Inside David Zaslav's Overhaul of the Warner Bros. Movie Division | Analysis

The Warner Bros. Discovery CEO wants to run the studio "like an old-school film mogul," a company insider tells TheWrap

www.thewrap.com

 

[FunkMiller]

The rumor going around though is that Discovery wants to change that. They claim that Discovery wants to scrap all of the JJ Abrams Superman shit and make Cavill's Superman the center of a new DCEU and build everything around him. That won't stop another headless Superman cameo in Black Adam, but it seems like Discovery wants to fix it.

Inside David Zaslav's Overhaul of the Warner Bros. Movie Division | Analysis

The Warner Bros. Discovery CEO wants to run the studio "like an old-school film mogul," a company insider tells TheWrap

www.thewrap.com

Sadly I have zero confidence in WB making things better, whoever is running it.

 

[Neolombax]

I liked the Snydercut, thoroughly enjoyed it. Didnt really pay attention to the movement to release it though. I thought it was just another twitter thing that comes and goes.

 

[OmegaSupreme]

I liked the Snydercut, thoroughly enjoyed it. Didnt really pay attention to the movement to release it though. I thought it was just another twitter thing that comes and goes.

They're still going at it. Now it's #restorethesynderverse it's really sad

 

[Soapbox Killer]

We are better for it.







Now the "Justice is Grey" version that is out there is super strange and I have no idea why that exist.

 

[kuncol02]

Mind you, what they’re left with on the DCEU is still clearly a fucking disaster. Thoroughly deserved.

Whole WB is disaster for years now. How the hell are they still able to operate with so much incompetence is mystery to me.

 

[Star-Lord]

I don't see the issue here. He fought for control of his own [vastly superior] film and got it. In turn, we got the best DC film to date.

 

[OmegaSupreme]

I don't see the issue here. He fought for control of his own [vastly superior] film and got it. In turn, we got the best DC film to date.

That's a low bar. The dceu has been absolute trash.

 

[Wildebeest]

I guess this man started the first social media AstroTurf campaign ever. The age of innocence on internet is finally over.

 

[MastaKiiLA]

Rolling Stone does some good research for their stories, but I think the Warner source casts some doubt on the veracity of the story. But I'm fine with it, even if true. I didn't need a campaign to motivate me, I wanted the Snyder cut ever since we learned about the horrible production issues after the final film was such a hatchet job.

There are many parts of the theatrical release that just didn't feel like Zack. Especially the opening scene. I watch Zack Snyder films for Zack Snyder's vision. I don't care what anyone else thinks of him, his films are visually stimulating for me, and I will watch anything he makes. I didn't want Joss Whedon's take on JL, I wanted Zack's. And the Snyder Cut was a far better film than the disjointed original. So if there was a campaign, it was fully justified, because he didn't deserve to have his name forever attached to that disaster they released in cinemas.

 

[SlimySnake]

lmao at how slanted the article is. Like how do you pick a side as a journalist and then end up picking the side of greedy execs and suits. The last line is hilarious. "Poor people losing jobs in the middle of the pandemic while the studio had to front $73 million in production costs". Ummm, those $73 million created jobs you dumb fucks.

Even if Snyder pay for the 8% of fans who were fake. Fine. The movie was better. The same movie that the execs called a disaster and joyless. They clearly know nothing.

Also love how there is no mention of why Justice League was rushed out in November. A previous article had pointed out how lots of execs were leaving the company after Christmas and wanted their year end bonuses so they rushed out the film knowing full well Whedon's version was trash and needed more reshoots.

 

[ManaByte]

I don't see the issue here. He fought for control of his own [vastly superior] film and got it. In turn, we got the best DC film to date.

The director of a movie saying he’ll destroy Geoff Johns on social media and then magically MeToo allegations surface doesn’t seem to be a problem. We crucified Amber Heard for doing that to Johnny Depp, but it’s not an issue when Zack Snyder does it.

 

[Clear]

lmao at how slanted the article is. Like how do you pick a side as a journalist and then end up picking the side of greedy execs and suits. The last line is hilarious. "Poor people losing jobs in the middle of the pandemic while the studio had to front $73 million in production costs". Ummm, those $73 million created jobs you dumb fucks.

Even if Snyder pay for the 8% of fans who were fake. Fine. The movie was better. The same movie that the execs called a disaster and joyless. They clearly know nothing.

Also love how there is no mention of why Justice League was rushed out in November. A previous article had pointed out how lots of execs were leaving the company after Christmas and wanted their year end bonuses so they rushed out the film knowing full well Whedon's version was trash and needed more reshoots.

My thoughts too, and entirely expected given how Rolling Stone has zero journalistic credibility these days.

 

[AJUMP23]

Good. It's nice to see someone fight for control of their work.

Stalone is trying to get back control of Rocky. How do you lose control of a character you wrote and created?

 

[Jsisto]

shit like this is so sleazy and also proves that people will jump on a bandwagon as long as its trending and gaining traction. Its like a bunch of mindless drones supporting something just because they see others supporting it. Its like a psyche test

Bit of a pessimistic take when it comes to a movie but I don’t think you’re wrong overall. Most of these movements that we like to think happen organically or at the grassroots level are likely anything but.

 

[Star-Lord]

The director of a movie saying he’ll destroy Geoff Johns on social media and then magically MeToo allegations surface doesn’t seem to be a problem. We crucified Amber Heard for doing that to Johnny Depp, but it’s not an issue when Zack Snyder does it.

That's not what's being discussed here. And, as of yet, the MeToo stuff is, as you said, only allegations. Innocent until proven guilty, right? Or does the Depp/Turd analogy only work when you use it?

 

[Lady Jane]

Stalone is trying to get back control of Rocky. How do you lose control of a character you wrote and created?

In Creed 3 (which I assume is being made), I hope they kill off Rocky which they already started setting up in Creed 2. Stallone isn't getting younger and I want them to send off Rocky the right way and not some CGI crap.

Edit: I just read that Stallone isn't in Creed 3, wtf? Not sure what internal drama caused that but I won't be watching it then.

 

[AJUMP23]

In Creed 3 (which I assume is being made), I hope they kill off Rocky which they already started setting up in Creed 2. Stallone isn't getting younger and I want them to send off Rocky the right way and not some CGI crap.

Edit: I just read that Stallone isn't in Creed 3, wtf? Not sure what internal drama caused that but I won't be watching it then.

I assume it is because of what is going on behind the scenes. The rights being mostly owned by some one other than Stallone.

 

[Lady Jane]

I assume it is because of what is going on behind the scenes. The rights being mostly owned by some one other than Stallone.

Well whoever is in charge is putting their eggs in the wrong basket. I assume that the ticket sales of these movies are strongly supported by Rocky fans. We'll see I guess but I'm not paying ticket prices to see a "Rocky saga" film without Rocky.

 

[AJUMP23]

Well whoever is in charge is putting their eggs in the wrong basket. I assume that the ticket sales of these movies are strongly supported by Rocky fans. We'll see I guess but I'm not paying ticket prices to see a "Rocky saga" film without Rocky.

What if I told you Apollo Creed wasn't really dead, he faked it so he could hide, and comes back to coach his son.

 

[Soodanim]

The article addresses that without a number when talking about the review bombing of Godzilla vs. Kong and Gunn's The Suicide Squad:

Box Office: ‘Godzilla vs. Kong’ Defeats Pandemic With $48.5M U.S. Start, Hits $285.4M Globally

The tentpole exceeded all expectations and by far devoured the biggest opening at the domestic box office since the COVID-19 crisis struck. Globally, it hit a huge $285.4 million on Easter Sunday.

www.hollywoodreporter.com

They spent $100M in the hopes of the millions of people spamming those hashtags signing up for HBO Max. Due to WarnerMedia commissioning these reports that discovered the bots, the number was probably A LOT lower than they were expecting based on the social media presence.

Thanks. Both movies seem to have grossed above $160m, so with that as the ceiling it's definitely possible that TSC made a good enough profit

 

[ManaByte]

Thanks. Both movies seem to have grossed above $160m, so with that as the ceiling it's definitely possible that TSC made a good enough profit

Kong and Suicide Squad were released in theaters, TSC wasn't. It was only released on HBO Max, with a 4K UHD Blu-ray months later and it just came out digitally today.

 

[DGrayson]

Actually pretty funny. And shit, why not? Can we have Paul W.S. Anderson pumping #ReleaseTheEventHorizonLostFootage next please?

Great movie!

 

[KyoZz]

Of course ManaByte you posted this bullshit article.

In the end it's saying that 87% of the movement was by real person right? So that's damn good if you ask me.
Also comparing Zack Snyder to Lex Luthor is really a fuckin dick move. WB should take care of Ezra rather than doing this crap.

This piece of shit is written just to distract from the digital release of the Snyder Cut, but it's a habit for WB...




"Serious stuff went down"

Fuck you WB

 

[Deleted member 1159]

Actually pretty funny. And shit, why not? Can we have Paul W.S. Anderson pumping #ReleaseTheEventHorizonLostFootage next please?

Apparently it’s lost lost , I love Event Horizon.

Anyway you ever play a game or watch a movie when you’re sick or something? Like I had the flu when I first tried to play Mass Effect and I felt bad every subsequent attempt to play it for like a year. That’s kinda like the Snyder Cut to me, except I watched it the day I had a vasectomy and couldn’t do anything but sit on the couch with ice on my balls.

 

[ManaByte]

Apparently it’s lost lost , I love Event Horizon.

Toxic waste will do that to film canisters.

 

[The Skull]

Glad it got released. Not without its issues but I thoroughly enjoyed it.

 

[ManaByte]

Ray Fisher tried to claim Rolling Stone lied about him declining to comment, so RS posted the emails.

 

[KyoZz]

Ray Fisher tried to claim Rolling Stone lied about him declining to comment, so RS posted the emails.

Did they really send that email... 1 fucking day ago? It's kind of silly to say that he declined to comment when they tried to reach him so close to the publication of said article.
And this mail is written by a 12 years old kid right? It has to. And I don't see where Fisher is declining to respond?