While much of Justice League will still be a Zack Snyder-directed feature this fall, there will also be a sprinkling of Joss Whedon's handiwork in the movie. After Snyder departed Justice League following his daughter's tragic passing, Whedon stepped in to oversee the reshoots. For those wondering if Whedon's previous superhero movie experience will make Justice League feel more like his entries from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Ben Affleck, a.k.a. the current Batman, noted that the changes Whedon implemented didn't turn the DC team-up adventure into something akin to The Avengers. As Affleck put it:
I didn't sense that we were moving towards something that felt like The Avengers. Joss is more than just an Avengers director. He's a good storyteller, full stop. In mid-stream, Joss got on and part of what interested him was the puzzle aspect of it, fitting in pieces that weren't there yet. He put the rest of the pieces in and gave it his own imprimatur. Joss came in and walked a very fine line between Zack's sensibility, tone, and direction. We found a really fun and inspiring synthesis of their two forms of storytelling. I was so glad everyone showed up to work for Zack.
Gal Gadot echoed Ben Affleck's comments when she spoke to Empire, saying that Joss Whedon came in for only a few weeks of reshoots, and this will still feel like Zack Snyder's movie. Justice League's principal photography lasted from April to October of 2016, so even with Whedon leading the charge, it's not like the movie has been radically overhauled to the point it feel like it tonally belongs in the MCU. Sure, the Justice League reshoots have resulted in the movie being adjusted from what what Snyder had planned during the original filming period (though there are conflicting reports about the extent of these adjustments), but DCEU fans needn't worry about Justice League feeling like a rehash of The Avengers just because Whedon sat in the director's chair for a spell.
Along with Joss Whedon already being skilled with handling superhero ensembles, another advantage that Justice League had with its directorial shifts compared to other blockbusters is that even before Zack Snyder departed, Whedon was already involved with the movie. Snyder had brought Whedon on to write additional scenes for the Justice League reshoots, making it easier for Whedon to transition from writer to director than if Warner Bros had hired someone else for the job. We may never know exactly how much of Justice League was altered under Whedon's supervision, but at least he was there to finish the puzzle, as Ben Affleck put it. And Whedon will have the opportunity to oversee a DC movie from start to finish when Batgirl gets off the ground.
Justice League will be released in theaters on November 17. For those of you wondering what else is being released for the remainder of the year, look through our 2017 movie premiere guide for your answers.
