The campaign for the "Snyder Cut" of Warner Bros. brought in Joss Whedon to direct major reshoots. Although the studio asserted that these were only intended to complete the film as Snyder had envisioned, upon the movie's release in November 2017, it became clear that the version of Justice League that had arrived in theaters was not what Zack Snyder had intended.
Thus began the ongoing grassroots campaign to persuade Warner Bros. to release the director's original cut of Justice League, an endeavor that has persisted for the nearly two years since the film's theatrical release. Snyder himself would begin stirring the pot by releasing never-before-seen images from his cut on social media, while a growing number of the cast and crew of Justice League have also begun showing for the Snyder Cut's release, with Jason Momoa being particularly vocal in his for it.
Among the more recent events surrounding the Snyder Cut, a salient development has been the growing it has gained from many who have been less than pleased with Snyder's DC films. That can be attributed to a number of factors that have arisen since the theatrical release of Justice League. However, while winning over critics of the DCEU will not in and of itself result in the Snyder Cut's release, it has done much to increase its visibility and show that the demand for it is not only there among the already existing DCEU audience, but that it is clearly beginning to expand.
Zack Snyder's Detractors Didn't Care About The Snyder Cut... At First
While the theatrical cut of Justice League didn't see a rapturous reception, it did receive a degree of credit for its lighter tone and greater amount of humor compared to its much darker predecessor Justice League was a significant financial disappointment.
At that point, many who had been critical of DCEU's early days were ready for the franchise to move on from Snyder's influence on it. Although the Snyder Cut campaign had kicked off almost as soon as Justice League hit theaters, the idea of there being another version of the film that was anywhere near complete was taken far less seriously at the time, and was widely seen as an outright impossibility. Even as a Change.org petition accumulated tens of thousands of signatures, the notion of the Snyder Cut faced a much greater uphill battle to gain traction. However, as more information about the movie's production history and the differences between the two versions of the film would emerge, that would begin to change.
How The Snyder Cut Narrative Changed
The first real indication that there was validity to the idea of the Snyder Cut would emerge when Zack Snyder himself began releasing images and storyboards from his version of Justice League on social media. As the push for Snyder's version of Justice League progressed, the director's teases would reveal snippets of scenes and story points not featured in the theatrical cut, as well as characters who had been completely excised, such as Snyder himself confirmed it publicly at a director's cut event earlier this year.
Other of the Justice League cast and crew would also begin to show increasing amounts of for the Snyder Cut, as well. Storyboard artist Jay Oliva would be one of the earliest voices confirming the Snyder Cut's existence, while revealing details of the Ray Fisher has also voiced his for it. Additionally, as more details about the Snyder Cut came out, the campaign would gain another prominent er in the form of filmmaker Kevin Smith. The effect that Snyder, Smith, and the Justice League cast and crew would collectively have would be to transition the debate around the Snyder Cut from one of its existence to just how close it was to being finished, and of the likelihood of it actually being released. While Warner Bros. remains the major summit to climb for the Snyder Cut to see the light of day, establishing its existence beyond a shadow of a doubt was always a necessary first step to get to that point. What's more, even those who had not enjoyed Snyder's previous DC films were now taking notice of it.
The Future of Justice League's Snyder Cut
Where the lobbying efforts for the Snyder Cut go from this point is a bit of an open-ended proposition, but there's clearly no end in sight for it. More and more high-profile voices are giving the campaign their , with raised vast amounts of money for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, which has given it greater attention and even approval from the public, including among critics of his work on the DCEU.
Snyder's zombie heist movie granted complete creative freedom on the film, the reception of Army of the Dead could be viewed as a statement of sorts on his future as a filmmaker. More importantly, as far as the Snyder Cut is concerned, it could also lead to a new wave of for its release. Should the film be subject to a negative or divisive reception, that could establish a further blockade to the release of the cut. However, if Army of the Dead ends up enjoying widespread acclaim, that could prove instrumental in raising even more for the Snyder Cut being released, especially among those not already enamored with Man of Steel and Batman v Superman.
As the push for the Snyder Cut continues on, its release undoubtedly hinges upon Warner Bros. being convinced that the demand for it is strong. However, it has become increasingly evident that interest has spread beyond Snyder's core fan base. Whether out of sheer curiosity or simply ing a filmmaker realizing his artistic vision to its completion, more and more critics of Zack Snyder's work on the DCEU are expressing a desire to see the superhero ensemble that he had originally intended. While the decision to release it rests with Warner Bros. alone, that effectively serves to establish that the audience for the Snyder Cut of Justice League is continuing to grow.
