If you are in any way engaged in the discussion about DC Comics movies online, then you likely are well familiar with three simple words: the Snyder Cut. Ever since Justice League opened to mixed critical reception last November and ultimately underwhelmed at the box office, numerous DC Extended Universe fans have clamored for Warner Bros to release a cut of the movie that better reflects director Zack Snyder's original vision before he had to step aside and Joss Whedon was brought in to oversee Justice League's completion. There've been arguments back and forth for months about whether such a cut exists, let alone if Warner Bros will release it, but as Justice League storyboard artist Jay Oliva explained, it's important that people see where Snyder originally intended to take this franchise after Man of Steel and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, even if it's not in finished form. In Oliva's words:
That's what the whole movement is about. It's not about finishing the film, it's about showing the fans of Zack's universe established in MoS and BvS the more accurate representation of where the story was supposed to go.
While speaking with Revenge of the Fans, Jay Oliva clarified that he doesn't believe there is a 100% completed Zack Snyder cut of Justice League ready to be released, and he doesn't think Snyder has been working on the cut, though that doesn't necessarily discount that he's having/had discussions with Warner Bros about it. That being said, Oliva also stated that if the studio doesn't want to pour in the resources to completing the Snyder cut, then it should just put out the Work in Progress (WIP) cut that was shown to executives before Joss Whedon came aboard. Even if certain visual effects are unfinished, Oliva believes it's necessary for fans to be able to see Justice League how it was originally envisioned, before Joss Whedon got involved.
It was announced in May 2017 that Zack Snyder was stepping down as Justice League's director following the death of his daughter, although it was later rumored that Snyder actually wanted to keep working on Justice League afterwards, but was removed away due to creative differences. Whatever really went down, Joss Whedon, who had already been hired to rewrite some scenes, was then tasked with overseeing Justice League during reshoots. Even if you didn't follow the news about Justice League closely and only watched the trailers, it's clear upon seeing the movie that certain shots, moments and lines of dialogue from earlier previews were removed from the final cut. And then there were the more obvious things, like the Mustachegate fiasco. Whatever your opinion about Justice League might be, the finalized movie certainly felt like a Frankenstein-like creation, so purely for curiosity's sake, even if the effects are incomplete, I'd like to see a cut of the movie that's closer to what Zack Snyder had in mind.
As things stand right now, Warner Bros hasn't publicly indicated it will release a Snyder Cut for Justice League, although San Diego Comic-Con is coming up in a few weeks, so that would certainly make for an interesting surprise announcement. For all the latest about the DCEU, keep tuned to CinemaBlend, and don't forget to browse through our DC movies guide to learn what other projects are in development for this franchise.
