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DC fans who've been campaigning to see the Snyder Cut of Justice League since shortly after the movie hit theaters in November 2017 have finally had reason to rejoice. In late May, Zack Snyder revealed that his version of the superhero ensemble will be released on HBO Max in 2021. Ever since, tons of actors (including those who worked on the film) and other directors have spoken up about their thoughts on Zack Snyder's Justice League. Now Avengers: Endgame co-director Joe Russo has added his feelings to the mix.
Joe Russo, alongside his brother Anthony, directed four of Marvel's big screen blockbusters, with their work on Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War, and Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame helping to cement the MCU as the most successful interconnected film universe we've ever had. The directors recently spoke with Comic Book Movie, and when asked about the impending release of the Snyder Cut, Joe Russo said:
I think it's always great when a director's original vision can find its way to the screen. We have been very, very fortunate in our careers that everything we did for Marvel, we would call our director's cuts. They were very gracious and deferential, and very supportive of our vision for those movies, and there's nothing sitting on the editing room floor that we suddenly want back into those films. We worked very hard at what the current cut of those movies are, so we're very fortunate to have released our director's cut on all four of those films.
While the situation that Joe and Anthony Russo had with Marvel and Disney certainly seems to have gone above and beyond when it comes to directors having their exact vision end up in the original theatrical cut of their films, most of us probably know by now that it's not unusual for such a situation to be a bit rare. Many directors have had to make some compromises to their ideal version of their movie, in order to appease the studio which is planning to release the film. This is why we see so many Director's Cut Blu-ray editions come out within a couple of years of the original film leaving theaters.
But, as we all also know by now, Zack Snyder did not have even that basic level of compromise to deal with when it came to Justice League. From the start, there were rumored issues between Snyder and Warner Bros., with the studio not being at all pleased with the critical reception or box office of Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, and wanting Snyder to chill on the dark, brooding tone he was planning for yet another of his DC films.
When Snyder had to deal with a family tragedy in early 2017, just a few months before Justice League was due to be released, more rumors swirled that he had hoped to take a bit of time off and then throw himself into finishing the film. But, he was replaced by Joss Whedon, who had worked wonders with The Avengers just a few years earlier, and his expensive reshoots led to the finished product being far from what Snyder was working toward, while also disappointing critics and fans, alike.
As Joe Russo said in his interview, it's a wonderful thing for any director to be able to get their true vision out to the masses, and Zack Snyder's Justice League has been promised to give every DC fan just that.
Zack Snyder's Justice League will debut on HBO Max sometime in 2021, but for more on what to watch right now and in the coming months, be sure to check out our 2020 new release schedule!
