Although Will Smith slapping Chris Rock onstage is generating the most chatter concerning the 94th Academy Awards, there were plenty of other notable moments from last night’s ceremony. For example, while he didn’t compete in any of the official categories, both of Zack Snyder’s 2021 cinematic offerings, Zack Snyder’s Justice League and Army of the Dead, recognized at this year’s Oscars, and the filmmaker has since reacted to this proverbial spotlight being shined on his work.
Starting off, the scene in Zack Snyder’s Justice League when Ezra Miller’s Flash entered the Speed Force to travel back through time and prevent Earth from being destroyed was voted by fans as the #1 Oscars Cheer Moment, outpacing competitors like the three Spider-Men teaming up in Spider-Man: No Way Home and Captain America yelling “Avengers assemble!” in Avengers: Endgame, While there were a lot of people on social media displeased with Zack Snyder’s Justice League getting first place, Zack Snyder was naturally thankful for the shoutout, posting this on Vero:
Because Justice League’s theatrical cut was released in late 2017, Zack Snyder’s Justice League wasn’t eligible to win any of Oscars last night, but the director’s fans came out in droves to ensure it got some attention at the ceremony. They didn’t stop with his four-hour superhero epic either, because Netflix’s Army of the Dead won the Oscars Fan Favorite contest, reigning supreme above Tick, Tick… Boom!, Spider-Man: No Way Home, Minamata and the Camila Cabello-led Cinderella. This time, Snyder straight up thanked his fans for making this honor happen.
The release of Zack Snyder’s Justice League on HBO Max followed after years of fans campaigning for the filmmaker’s original vision of the movie to be seen, since the theatrical version of Justice League was largely reshot by Joss Whedon. The director’s cut celebrated its first anniversary earlier this month, and on that we got our first official look at Wayne T. Carr’s Green Lantern, who was originally supposed to appear opposite Ben Affleck’s Bruce Wayne at the end of the story rather than Harry Lennix’s Martian Manhunter. Many fans are still calling for Warner Bros. to #RestoreTheSnyderVerse, but between the studio having different plans for upcoming DC movies and Snyder keeping busy over at Netflix, for now, it doesn’t look likely that will happen.
Speaking of Netflix, May 14 will mark the one-year anniversary of Army of the Dead hitting the streaming service. The zombie-packed heist movie, which Zack Snyder sees as a spiritual successor to his Dawn of the Dead remake, kicked off a franchise that includes the Army of Thieves prequel movie released in October, the upcoming Lost Vegas anime-style series and the upcoming direct sequel Planet of the Dead, which Snyder will direct and co-write. Currently though, Snyder is working on Rebel Moon, where he’s re-teaming with Cyborg actor Ray Fisher, among others.
If you’re interested in learning who walked away with golden trophies last night, look through the list of Academy Award winners. Those of you looking to the future can scan through the 2022 movie releases to see what catches your eye.
