Whether you like his filmmaking style or not, Zack Snyder is one of the chief architects of the DC Extended Universe. He kicked off the franchise in 2013 with Man of Steel, he was leading the charge on Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and he's helming Justice League for next year. Following the release of the DCEU's first team-up flick, Snyder slated to return for Justice League 2 in 2019, but that plan is scrapped, as now the blockbuster has been delayed so the director can work on another project.
Justice League 2 _was originally supposed to hit theaters on June 14, 2019, but according to THR, the sequel has now been pushed back so Zack Snyder can work on his long-gestating thriller _The Last Photograph. To be clear, Snyder is still keen on directing the next Justice League movie, it's just going to have to wait a little longer so he can finally tackle the movie he's been waiting to make since 300's success. Don't fret, though, because that June 2019 date won't be without a DC movie. Instead, the plan is to release Ben Affleck's solo Batman movie at that time. A new Justice League 2 release date wasn't disclosed, but logically speaking, the soonest it could come out now is sometime in 2020, or at the very earliest, snag the November 1, 2019 spot that's reserved for an untitled DC movie.
For those wondering what kind of story would make Zack Snyder to take a break from the world of superheroes, The Last Photograph supposedly follows a war correspondent in Afghanistan who is the only survivor from an attack targeting a group of Americans. This correspondent eventually encounters a special ops solider who is searching for a family member, and now together, the correspondent hopes he'll "score the story of his life." 300 writer Kurt Johnstad wrote the script for the story Snyder formed, and at one point Christian Bale and Sean Penn were supposed to lead the movie. However, now The Last Photograph doesn't have any actors attached, but Snyder is hoping to finally get the movie off the ground at Warner Bros, and the goal is to start shooting in late 2017. To pull that off, he needs to set aside working on Justice League 2.
The silver lining to delaying Justice League 2 is that the extra time can be used to work on the script longer and iron out any issues. Plus, who knows, maybe getting some distance from the DCEU will freshen his mind in a way and allow him to look at the sequel differently upon his return. Thankfully, if the plans stays intact, the solo Batman movie, which will see the Caped Crusader battling mercenary Slade Wilson, a.k.a. Deathstroke (played by Joe Manganiello), will be an excellent substitute for June 2019.
While Justice League 2 is now further away, its predecessor is still slated to hit theaters on November 17, 2017. Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for more updates surrounding the DCEU.
