Last week marked the four-year anniversary of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice’s release. As the second movie in the DC Extended Universe, not only was it notable for pairing the two eponymous heroes together for the first time in a live-action theatrical movie, it also marked the theatrical live-action debut of Wonder Woman and laid the groundwork for Justice League.
To commemorate the anniversary, and to provide something for DCEU fans after the Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice screening that was supposed to be held on March 28 in Detroit was cancelled due to coronavirus concerns, director Zack Snyder hosted a live commentary of the movie on Vero this past weekend. Now you can take in the entire watch party with the below video.
Zack Snyder never recorded a commentary track for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice’s home release, but should you find yourself watching the extended version, i.e. The Ultimate Edition, you now have the option to run this watch party as the three-hour movie is chugging along. If you’re a hardcore fan of Batman v Superman, as well as Snyder’s DCEU vision overall, he didn’t disappoint with providing compelling insight.
Among the topics that Zack Snyder talked about during the Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice commentary was the infamous Martha scene, Flash’s time travel, the black and white photo of Wonder Woman, Superman’s death scene and the foreshadowing of the Man of Steel’s eventual resurrection. He capped off the Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice watch party with some shade-throwing, noting how they should make a sequel to the movie.
Of course, we did get a sequel to Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, as Justice League came out in November 2017. While Zack Snyder helmed it during the principal photography stage, he had to exit during postproduction and Joss Whedon was brought in to oversee the reshoots. The result was a Justice League that not only differed significantly from what Snyder envisioned, but critically and commercially underwhelmed.
In the years since Justice League’s release, the #ReleaseTheSnyderCut movement has clamored for Warner Bros to release the version of the movie that better reflects Zack Snyder’s vision. While Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice’s Ultimate Edition tacked on an extra half hour to the runtime, Justice League’s Snyder Cut, according to Snyder himself, clocks in at 214 minutes, making it a little over an hour and a half longer than the theatrical version of Justice League.
For now, Warner Bros has no plans to deliver the Snyder Cut to the masses, whether as a traditional home release or throwing it onto HBO Max, but this Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice watch party was just the latest way that Zack Snyder has shown solidarity for his fans. The filmmaker has also dropped plenty of tidbits and behind-the-scenes pictures detailing how his version of Justice League differed from what we got.
Zack Snyder kicked off the DCEU in 2013 with Man of Steel, and he’d planned to do a five-movie arc, with two Justice League sequels capping off the saga. However, the course of the DCEU has shifted since Justice League’s release, and not only is the franchise focusing more on standalone character stories rather than interconnectivity, Snyder’s time with it appears to be done. Still, there are plenty of folks who liked what he delivered in Man of Steel and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and maybe someday Warner Bros will change its mind and release the Snyder Cut as requested.
For now though, keep checking with CinemaBlend for more DCEU updates, and look through our handy guide detailing what other DC movies are on the way.
