Zack Snyder’s ‘Justice League’ Cut May Get Released After All (Exclusive)

Zack Snyder Justice League

After countless rumors and teases from the director himself, it seems Zack Snyder’s cut of Justice League may get released after all.

We’ve all seen plenty of rumors and theories about Zack Snyder’s version of Justice League, but we’ve recently learned new information that proves the fabled Snyder Cut may end up getting released at some point. Check out our video for more details.

History Lesson

After Zack Snyder left Justice League following a family tragedy, Joss Whedon was brought on board to help finish the DC team-up movie. The Avengers director oversaw completion of the film, adding in his signature light-comedic tone and trimming the adventure down to a two-hour run time. Most recently, Justice League cinematographer Fabian Wagner claimed that the studio even changed the colour palette of the film after Snyder’s exit. Unfortunately, Justice League was met with a disappointing critical reception and also made a disappointing $657 million at the box office, reportedly losing Warner Bros. $60 million.

A number of dedicated fans created the “Release the Snyder Cut” campaign, calling for the studio to reveal the director’s original version of the film. While it’s easy to focus on the negative side of the fan movement which has harassed a number of Warner Bros. and DC executives in the past, it’s important to note that the campaign has also managed to do some good. In the past few years, it has raised more than $150,000 for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. To their credit, that’s worth applauding.

Snyder Screenings

Surprisingly, there’s been a number of people connected to the film in some way that claim they’ve seen the near-mythical Snyder Cut, which has only added to the hype surrounding it. Those who have seen it have praised the alternate version, and in a recent interview, stunt coordinator Eunice Huthart said her colleagues called the film “absolutely golden.” Fan-favorite director Kevin Smith also explained that to his understanding, the film could be watchable from a production perspective. The Clerks director said that the footage most likely doesn’t feature any VFX and that it isn’t a finished movie. Since Zack Snyder went through a phase of constantly revealing new shots, sketches and unfinished CGI on his Vero account, this isn’t surprising at all.

There’s a missing piece to this Justice League puzzle, but you’ll have to watch our latest video to discover why the Snyder Cut might see the light of day after all. It involves a recent screening of the film that could lead to a wider release.

Darkseid

One of the many criticisms raised over the movie was that Steppenwolf was hardly a compelling villain, with the lowly New God only boasting sheer numbers of Parademons to really challenge the League. But in Zack Snyder’s vision, Darkseid would have made a more prominent appearance across the film. The original flashback to the scene where the Atlanteans, Amazonians, and the armies of men fight Steppenwolf’s forces would have used a younger version of Darkseid. Snyder even revealed a look at the young villain, although he looks a little different without his typical regal outfit. Ares actor Nick McKinless also revealed there was a fight scene between the God of War and the young New God. He explained in an Instagram comment that they shot an entire sequence with Darkseid after he trained for about four months to get in shape for the role.

Snyder himself revealed that instead of being killed by Parademons at the end of Justice League, Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman was meant to behead Steppenwolf. The director also explained that the villain’s head would’ve rolled into a boom tube, with Darkseid standing on the other side. The ruler of Apokolips would’ve then crushed it under his foot. Snyder also confirmed that one of Darkseid’s most famous servants, Desaad, was also set to appear in the Cut, confirming to a fan on Vero that Steppenwolf was meant to report to Desaad. In one of the original trailers, Steppenwolf mentions “No protectors here, no Lanterns, no Kryptonian.” This line was taken from a scene featuring the two underlings.

Green Lantern

Darkseid wasn’t the only addition to the film, with Snyder confirming that his cut featured another Green Lantern. When asked whether the Emerald Knight that appeared in the theatrical version was also in his cut, the director explained “that’s mine, but not THE Green Lantern.” His comments clearly reveal that another member of the intergalactic police force was meant to appear in the film, but it’s not clear whether it was Hal Jordan, John Stewart or even Guy Gardner. The next time we’ll see a Green Lantern in live-action will likely be in the HBO Max series, which will reportedly focus on two different Lanterns.

Surprisingly, another green hero meant to appear in Justice League was Martian Manhunter. Harry Lennix‘s General Swanwick was originally intended to be revealed as J’onn J’onnzz in a deleted scene from the ending of the movie that saw the hero pretending to be Martha Kent. After Lois leaves, he would’ve briefly reverted to his Martian form before quickly transforming back into Swanwick. It’s not clear what DC’s plans for the Martian Manhunter are for the moment, but for now, David Harewood is killing it in the role over on The CW’s Supergirl.

Justice League Sequels

Although Zack Snyder’s five-film arc was scrapped following the disappointing reception to Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League, the team-up movie was originally meant to get two sequels. Justice League 2 would’ve seen the heroes fail in their attempt to defeat Darkseid, with the villain murdering Lois Lane so that Superman would succumb to the Anti-Life Equation. And when the villain takes control of Superman, using him to subjugate the entire planet, the Kryptonian quickly becomes one of Darkseid’s biggest weapons.

From there, fans would’ve seen the planet turn into a monstrous vision of the villain’s own world, Apokolips. Yes, this means we would’ve seen the reality of Bruce Wayne’s Knightmare vision from Batman v Superman. Who doesn’t want to see more of the post-apocalyptic Batman? The third film would have seen the future Bruce and a broken Cyborg try to send The Flash back to a closer point in time to Lois’ death to warn the team. Presumably, they would’ve succeeded in the third film and defeated the dark lord of Apokolips once and for all.

New Gods

Aside from the Snyder Cut, it’s extremely likely Darkseid will return on the big screen in the future. Acclaimed comics writer Tom King and the incredibly talented director Ava DuVernay are writing a New Gods movie together for Warner Bros. and DC. The two have been teasing fans with the project for quite some time and  King has said that the film will be a personal adventure that stays true to Jack Kirby’s cosmically strange vision. DuVernay and King have both cryptically mentioned the immortal phrase “Darkseid Is” on Twitter when asked if the villain will appear. DuVernay also teased the inclusion of Big Barda and the Furies, saying that no “self-respecting Barda fan” could leave the villainous squad out. If Big Barda is around, we’d put money on Granny Goodness and Mister Miracle not being far behind. Most recently, the director revealed that she’s been working on a scene with the All-Widow, Queen of the bugs on New Genesis, in the film.

So while we wait for confirmation on what Warner Brothers’ plans are for the Snyder Cut, at least we can be safe in the knowledge that at some point in the future, Darkseid will appear on the big screen thanks to Ava DuVernay and Tom King’s New Gods. For now, if you’re looking for a movie where the team go up against the villain with longstanding character arcs and everything to lose, we recommend Justice League Dark: Apokolips War. To say any more would spoil the surprises hidden in the animated epic, so go check it out for yourself — even if it’s just for Constantine’s relationship drama.

Make sure to keep an eye on Heroic Hollywood for all the latest entertainment news, be sure to subscribe to the channel and check out our other videos. Let us know in the comments if you still want to see the Snyder Cut and tell us what you most want from the film.

Here’s the official synopsis for Zack Snyder’s Justice League:

Fueled by his restored faith in humanity and inspired by Superman’s selfless act, Bruce Wayne enlists the help of his newfound ally, Diana Prince, to face an even greater enemy. Together, Batman and Wonder Woman work quickly to find and recruit a team of metahumans to stand against this newly awakened threat. But despite the formation of this unprecedented league of heroes—Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Cyborg and The Flash—it may already be too late to save the planet from an assault of catastrophic proportions.

Directed by Zack Snyder, the film stars Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Gal Gadot, Ezra Miller, Jason Momoa, Ray Fisher, Jeremy Irons, Diane Lane, Connie Nielsen, J. K. Simmons, and Ciarán Hinds.

Justice League is now available on Blu-Ray, DVD, and Digital HD.

Eammon Jacobs

Eammon Jacobs

British dork who can be found online raving about how good Tron: Legacy is.