As well all know by now, when Joss Whedon took over for Zack Snyder on Justice League, the film changed quite a bit. Some of those changes resulted in actors who had parts in the film seeing their roles get cut. Among them was actor Sam Benjamin, who recently gave the details about his cut Justice League role, noting he was part of a storyline that would have been lengthy in the movie and revealing other intriguing details. He said:
I kind of knew when Joss Whedon took over, I was prepared for a lot of changes. So I was like, 'You know what? I filmed with Zack.' It turns out that whole arc I was in was completely gone. It was probably, I'd estimate, a 20-30 minute story. The story just kind of skipped and I think some people who are really tuned in to Zack Snyder and Joss Whedon's work would probably watch the film and go, 'Oh that's where Snyder would have done this.'
Based on what Sam Benjamin told Flashback FilmMaking, it sounds like the writing was on the wall that a lot of stuff was going to change when the director switch for Justice League was made. Based on his reveals here, it sounds like a lot did change, with a ton of stuff getting cut, including his role.
As far as the specifics of his role in the film, Sam Benjamin played it coy, wary of how much he could reveal without getting in trouble. He mentions checking it out on IMDb and if you do so, you'll see that he is credited as "Military Policeman 2." So given that he doesn't have a name it seems that his specific role wasn't very big anyway, the actor doesn't seem to have regrets about what was cut.
I think it had that Man of Steel, epic, really a lot of heart in there. But really, what happened, happened. I had a blast. It was a lot of fun... It was basically like a military-based character who was in a scene with a villain and a hero. And I probably shouldn't say [more].
However, he mentions that the arc his character was a part of could have accounted for 20-30 minutes of the film before it was excised. It was reported that the film was mandated to be less than 2 hours so perhaps he was part of a whole subplot that was cut for time. You can take a look at what he had to say in full, below.
He mentions it being a dream come true and the fun he had working with Zack Snyder, so it is kind of sad that his role got cut. However, he now isn't part of the official canon, so maybe he'll get another chance to show up in the future?
There have been so many changes reported that we can't really say for sure who his character was or what arc he was a part of, but there are enough clues here for fans to speculate about and get a better picture of Zack Snyder's vision. Without telling us the story, Sam Benjamin also teases some more abstract things about Zack Snyder's Justice League, which should be enough to add further fuel to the Snyder Cut fire. Snyder loyalists can keep holding their breath for a Snyder Cut of Justice League, but chances are we'll never get to see it. Still though, all of the reveals like this tease such a different film that it's hard not to be curious. Maybe a fan can cobble together all the reveals and everything we've heard and film their own Snyder Cut?
This is just the latest glimpse into the Justice League that might have been. Based on what we've heard since Justice League's release, the Snyder Cut may be both unwatchable and an emotional epic, featuring what seems like 45 more heroes and enough plot points to make a 4-hour director's cut feel stuffed. It really could have run the gamut, being the greatest superhero movie ever made or the worst film period, or possibly something in between.
The next film in the DCEU is Aquaman, which hits theaters on December 21st. Keep an eye on our guide for everything going on in the DCEU and head on over to the release schedule to see the biggest movies to get excited about this fall.
