It seems like only yesterday that fans were vigorously campaigning for Warner Bros. to release Zack Snyder’s original version (or the Snyder Cut) of 2017’s Justice League. Now that Zack Snyder’s Justice League is set to be released by HBO Max, fans are getting excited. Ahead of its release, Snyder has also released a few cool clips and images that have only fueled the hype. One question that has remained, however, is whether or not the director is getting paid to finish his film, and he’s now revealed whether or not he’s doing the job for free.
Zack Snyder appeared at the fan-established Justice Con this past weekend to share some more insight into his work on the Snyder Cut, which he says he’s working on every day. During his panel, he was asked if he would be getting paid for his work, and his response might surprise you:
It's exciting to get this chance and I wouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth and I love working on it and I'd do it for free - and I am.
So it appears Zack Snyder is indeed completing his cut of Justice League for free. Given that Snyder and his team still have work to do in front of and behind the camera, some may be shocked that he’d opt to do the project without pay. But as the filmmaker says, it was just an opportunity that was too great for him to pass up.
Justice League was clearly a passion project for Zack Snyder, especially since it was set to close out a trilogy of sorts that began in Man of Steel and continued into Batman v. Superman. Following his untimely departure from the project and the subsequent release of Joss Whedon’s theatrical cut, he continued to speak on his cut and his hope of getting it made. Add in his passion for filmmaking in general, and it’s understandable why he’s now chosen to forgo payment.
To be honest though, it’s somewhat hard to imagine that Warner Bros. and HBO Max wouldn’t provide Snyder with some kind of compensation for his services. So there is a chance the companies may provide him with something on the back end.
After all, Snyder has mentioned that he’ll have to change and/or add a number of things through his reshoots since he won’t be using any of Joss Whedon’s footage. Among these things are the film’s action sequences and the motion capture work for Ray Porter’s Darkseid.
Zack Snyder is definitely going to have his hands full with his “Elseworld” film before it hits streaming, and the fact that he’s seemingly doing it for free signifies his commitment to his work and his fans.
Zack Snyder’s Justice League is set to be released on HBO Max sometime in 2021.
