Well, it’s finally here: after fan petitions, crowdfunding campaigns for ad space, and support over social media by cast and crew, “Zach Snyder’s Justice League” hits HBO Max in March. With COVID still putting pressure on the movie industry, it’s surprising that WarnerMedia has been able to follow through on its promise to fans about this release. Post-production went smoothly last year, though, so movie fans get what they want (a rarity these days).
Fans of the DCEU already know the backstory of why Zach Snyder‘s rendition of “Justice League” is so significant, so there’s little point in rehashing that here. Instead, it’s worth noting that even amid the COVID pandemic, Snyder never hit any snares on his road to release his version.
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After WarnerMedia formally announced to move forward with Snyder’s cut last February, in May, they announced its future release on HBO Max to coincide with the streaming service’s release. Snyder reassembled his original post-production team to take on the project and even shot five minutes of new footage for the cut last October with cast members. The budget to finish this cut of the film is estimated to be $70 million.
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Recompleting a film in the middle of a global pandemic is quite a feat, but that’s not the main reason why Snyder’s cut is so special. The movie is four hours long, with dozens of additional scenes. There are also new characters, cameos, and various worldbuilding elements.
This version has several comics characters cut out of the theatrical version, including Martian Manhunter and Justice League’s perennial adversary Darkseid. Others already in the film have more scenes, and the backstories of The Flash, Cyborg, and Aquaman will all be more fleshed out.
On top of that, all of the film’s fight sequences will be different. Snyder will also use none of Joss Whedon‘s footage in this cut, so Superman will look and act much differently in this version. Another addition to this version of “Justice League” is Jared Leto‘s Joker, last seen in 2016’s “Suicide Squad,” although Snyder has redesigned the character.
With all of the new characters and the longer runtime, this version of DC superheroes saving the world from Steppenwolf is an entirely new “Justice League” experience. It’s the one Snyder intended, but the question remains: will it live up to the hype for the fans who have wanted to see it for so long? Find out on March 18, when the film releases exclusively on HBO Max.