Three years ago today, Justice League’s theatrical cut arrived in theaters, though it critically and commercially underperformed in the weeks that followed. Cut to today, we’re months away from getting Zack Snyder’s Justice League, a.k.a. the Snyder Cut, which is removing all the Joss Whedon-helmed reshoots footage from the theatrical cut and being assembled from the footage Snyder shot during the original principal photography period, as well as some extra scenes that were recently filmed.
So just how much unseen footage can we expect to see in Zack Snyder’s Justice League? According to the filmmaker himself, over 60% of this movie’s footage hasn’t been shown off before. Here’s what Snyder recently said during a Vero stream where he was talking about the new Snyder Cut trailer:
It’s funny because I’m editing the movie now. While editing, I am looking at the actual visual effects shots, because the cut is locked. We are just looking every day at these shots as they come in, and it’s really exciting. I’m excited for you guys to see the giant amount of movie that you have coming your way in 2021 (on) HBO MAX. Don’t also forget, it is probably a solid two-and-a-half hours of unseen footage in this movie, I would imagine. Something like that. That’s going to be fun, for everyone to experience this for the first time.
While the theatrical Justice League clocked in at exactly two hours, Zack Snyder is going all-out with his version of Justice League by delivering four hours worth of story, which will be split into four hour-long episodes on HBO Max. So while some movies can tell a complete story within a two and a half hour runtime, for in Snyder’s case, that amount of time will simply be the main way he distinguishes his Justice League from what was shown on the big screen three years ago. And keep in mind, that two and a half hours doesn’t include the little Snyder footage that was kept in the theatrical Justice League and what he’s already shown off in the trailers.
Speaking of which, on the off chance you’ve been out of the loop on Zack Snyder’s Justice League, check out the black and white trailer that was released today for a tease of what’s to come.
Zack Snyder’s Justice League will follow the same basic premise as the theatrical version, i.e. Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Flash, Cyborg and an eventually-resurrected Superman battling Steppenwolf and his Parademon army when they come to Earth in search of the three Mother Boxes. Again though, the specific beats of that narrative will play out quite differently, from Cyborg being reincorporated as the “heart” of this Justice League story, to Robin’s death being elaborated upon, to characters like Darkseid and Ryan Choi showing up. Even Jared Leto’s Joker, who was never planned to appear in the original Justice League, has been thrown into the mix.
Zack Snyder has described his version of Justice League as an “Elseworld,” which obviously makes one thing of the Elseworlds label DC Comics once used to publish out-of-continuity stories. So while the DCEU film franchise has embarked on his own path, the Snyder Cut is free to operate with its own self-contained world. And depending on how this movie is received, maybe that could pave the way for more stories set in this world, be it a direct Justice League sequel or something like a standalone, Ben Affleck-led Batman movie.
Zack Snyder’s Justice League is expected to premiere on HBO Max in early to mid-2021; stay tuned to CinemaBlend for when a release date is officially set. Learn what the DC movies are headed to theaters in the coming years with our comprehensive guide.
