It’s likely that we’ll all be deep into our twilight years still talking about the Snyder Cut of “Justice League.” The passionate, persistent fans of Zack Snyder have consistently asked Warner Bros. to release a version of the film that better shows what the original filmmaker had in mind with his superhero team-up film over the last two years. And it would seem every few weeks, another comment or news item emerges about the troubled “Justice League” that fuels their fire.
The latest bit of news comes from Comic Book Debate (via Flickering Myth), who spoke with the original cinematographer of “Justice League,” Fabian Wagner, about the film. He was asked about working on the film, and the change from Snyder to Joss Whedon. And when he answers the question about whether or not he’s seen the final product, the Director of Photography doesn’t hold back.
He replied, “I have, unfortunately.”
But as telling as that response was, the cinematographer went further into why he was disappointed by how “Justice League” turned out, after Snyder handed the reins over to Whedon, and how he’s not able to really figure out which scenes were added and/or altered from the original filmmaker’s vision.
“It’s really hard to say because I was watching it and I think I was crying all the way through,” said Wagner. “So it’s hard for me to say exactly how much was changed, but a lot was changed. It looked very different, and it’s sad for me because I loved working with Zack; I had the best time of my life.”
He continued, “There were many other things on that movie that made it so good apart from the fact that I was working with Zack and the whole gang. I met my wife on that job. There [were] a lot of other things. It was just a great shoot, and so it was a shame to see the film the way it turned out to be.”
Obviously, I’m not privy to the behind-the-scenes drama that surrounded the production of “Justice League.” That being said, I’m going to go out on a limb and say that Whedon definitely didn’t want one of the folks who were largely responsible for the film saying that he cried “all the way through” and that “it was a shame to see the film the way it turned out to be.” Not exactly towing the company line, huh?
Of course, we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention the other parts of the comments, which include how Wagner has a sentimental attachment to the production (meeting his wife on the job), as well as his loyalty to Snyder, who has also subtly made jabs at Whedon’s finished product. Wagner’s involvement with “Justice League” apparently ended with Snyder’s, as Whedon didn’t bring the DP back for the highly-controversial reshoots.
If anything, these comments go to show you just how monumentally different the tone, style, and plot were from Snyder’s original vision of the film. And regardless of your thoughts about the Snyder Cut, or Snyder, in general, it is always a shame when a film is so drastically altered without the original filmmaker’s involvement. Most of the time, when this happens, you end up with a mess. You end up with “Justice League.”
