In May, Zack Snyder shocked everyone when he announced that he was stepping down as director of ‘Justice League’ after shooting was completed, due to a family tragedy. Joss Whedon, who had just signed on with Warner Brothers to direct a ‘Batgirl’ movie, moved over to oversee pick-ups and reshoots. According to reports, these reshoots wound up being pretty extensive, with, among other alterations, the climax of the movie being completely changed.
Since leaving ‘Justice League’, Snyder went on to direct a short film called ‘Snow Steam Iron’ and some wondered if this meant he was ready to return to work and specifically if he’d be taking the reigns to ‘Justice League’ back from Whedon.
The answer is no. Snyder said that it would be “unfair in a lot of ways” for him to try and return to a project he elected to leave and that another director had come along and put his stamp on. He elaborated:
“I’m at a place where I feel excited about it and I’m happy for my guys and I love these people that are working on it, and they’re my family and I think they’re doing an amazing job. But I’ve kind of just let them do their thing.”
In addition to altering the ending, Whedon apparently beefed up the role of Cyborg (Ray Fisher) and made other, undisclosed changes which were extensive enough to earn him a writing credit on the film, which means that he contributed at least 33% to the finished project.
Snyder was initially assigned to oversee the entire DC Extended Universe, but after his ‘Batman V Superman’ wound up being ridiculed by both critics and moviegoers, and under-performing at the box office, his role was said to be minimized. Now that he has stepped away from ‘Justice League’ it is unclear what his future will be in regard to the DCEU… or if he even has one.
At any rate, we will see how ‘Justice League’ turns out, when it is released on November 11.
Source: Wired via ComicBook.com
