Excitement for Justice League has become palpable among many DC fans, but there's also an undercurrent of unease due to recent behind-the-scenes drama. Some had wondered how the presence of Joss Whedon might have affected Zack Snyder's original vision when The Avengers director stepped in to replace the Batman v Superman director, but now Ben Affleck doesn't seem worried about that. In fact, the Batman actor addressed concerns over the direction of the film during a press conference that CinemaBlend sat in on in London and explained how most of the film was hashed out during Snyder's reign. Affleck said:
The movie is Zack's DNA. The cast of the movie. The design of the movie. There's something that people I think don't understand who don't actually work on movies which is how much of the work is done in prep. The casting, the sets get built, the story gets written. The ship is, in essence, sailing. I found, as a director, you can maybe change 10 percent? Fifteen percent, maybe, on the day. So you really had Zack's ship set sail with us, and we were fortunate that when Zack was not able to continue, we got really lucky in that we got a guy who is very accomplished in his own right. Particularly in this genre. And he kind of sprinkled some of his fairy dust on our movie and finished it. I don't think there's any way to go back and, to me, look at say, 'That's a Joss scene, that's a Zack scene.' They were both working together toward a common goal.
So while Joss Whedon did eventually step in to take over Justice League when Zack Snyder left to mourn the death of his daughter, he didn't have much control over the overarching direction of the film. Most of Justice League was thought out long before shooting even began. Whedon was able to make a few changes here and there, but the buck ultimately stopped at Zack Snyder and the work he did to get it off of the ground in the first place.
That's not to say that some notable changes may have taken take place behind the scenes in recent months. The exorbitantly expensive Justice League reshoots have become widely talked about by many fans, with some rumors suggesting that the goal was to punch up dialogue (because Joss Whedon) and potentially even give Wonder Woman a more substantial role following the success of her recent solo film. Even with those rumors, Ben Affleck's remarks make it clear that Justice League is a Zack Snyder project above all else, and it's nearly impossible to discern where Joss Whedon altered moments during his tenure as the film's director.
If you want a closer look at Zack Snyder's vision ahead of Justice League's upcoming debut, then check out a recent trailer for the superhero epic below!
The League will unite when Justice League premieres in theaters on November 17. Make sure to get your tickets for the highly-anticipated comic book movie now, and take a look at our 2017 movie premiere guide and our 2018 movie premiere guide for more details on the next year's most talked-about film debuts.
