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The release date of Zack Snyder’s Justice League is no longer a mystery. Early today, Zack Snyder announced that his definitive vision the superhero team-up take will arrive on HBO Max on March 18, and he did so by sharing a trio of posters. One of the posters was an homage to a classic Superman comics cover, and Dan Jurgens, the man who illustrated said cover, has given the poster his seal of approval.
The second Zack Snyder’s Justice League poster released today shows a tattered Justice League flag still standing among the wreckage of the team’s headquarters, with Snyder writing “Risen” in the caption. This image harkens back to the cover of Superman #75, which was part of the Death of Superman story arc and showed Clark Kent/Kal-El’s cape displayed in a similar fashion. Here’s how Dan Jurgens succinctly expressed his praise for the Snyder Cut poster.
If one word was used to summarize the poster’s imagery, then it’s only fair that one word be used to compliment it as well. For those unfamiliar with The Death of Superman, the first chunk of the story chronicled his battle with Doomsday, with Superman #75 seeing the Kryptonian hero giving his life to defeat the beast. Although as is often the case in comics, he was eventually resurrected. Needless to say that Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice incorporated Superman’s fight with Doomsday and subsequent demise, while the theatrical cut of Justice League and the Snyder Cut both depict his return to life.
Obviously the circumstances are different than how they unfolded on the printed page, but this poster is a nice reminder of how impactful The Death of Superman still is on pop culture, especially as we approach its 30th anniversary. Before showing the “Risen” poster, Zack Snyder first shared a poster of a crumbled Justice League symbol with the caption “Fallen.” After the “Risen” poster, Snyder shared a poster of a pair of film reels and a strip of film resting among the wreckage with the caption “Reborn.” This, of course, calls back to when Snyder photographed some film canisters in late 2019 to prove this his version of Justice League existed. (By the way, keep a lookout for those canisters in Snyder’s upcoming Netflix movie Army of the Dead.)
It’s no secret that Justice League was significantly changed from Zack Snyder’s original vision after the filmmaker departed and Joss Whedon was brought in to helm the reshoots. The theatrical version ended up being a critical and commercial disappointment, and in the years that followed, numerous fans campaigned for the Snyder Cut to be released to the public, which Snyder and others affiliated with the production, like Ray Fisher and Jason Momoa, supported. Finally, in May 2020, it was announced that Zack Snyder’s Justice League would be put on HBO Max (use the following link to subscribe to the streaming service), and it’s possible this version of the movie will also get a theatrical release.
Although it was initially announced that Zack Snyder’s Justice League would be released as a four-part miniseries, it’s now looking like HBO Max will drop the whole four-hour movie on March 18. While most of the footage in the Snyder Cut is what Zack Snyder shot during Justice League’s original principal photography, he also shot some extra scenes involving characters like Ezra Miller’s Flash, Amber Heard’s Mera, Joe Manganiello’s Deathstroke and Jared Leto’s Joker, the latter of whom wasn’t originally part of the Justice League story. The Snyder Cut will also reincorporate characters who were removed from Justice League’s theatrical cut, like Ray Porter’s Darkseid, Kiersey Clemons’ Iris West and Zheng Kai’s Ryan Choi.
With less than two months to go until Zack Snyder’s Justice League premieres on HBO Max, keep checking back with CinemaBlend for more updates on what we can expect from this Elseworlds journey. You can also keep apprised of what’s coming to theaters in this corner of the superhero movie market with our DC movies guide.
