Fans spent years clamoring and begging for Warner Bros. to make the moves that would allow the release of Zack Snyder's Justice League – but now that the blockbuster is out on HBO Max, the same group isn't being satisfied with the win. With incessant demands heard and acted upon, a new wave has started behind the hashtag #RestoreTheSnyderVerse, with individuals on social media calling for the continuity from Snyder's DC movies to be expanded with future films. It's created a lot of noise in the last few days, but those pushing for the idea may not want to get their hopes up, as WarnerMedia Studios CEO Ann Sarnoff has effectively shut down that conversation.
In the wake of Zack Snyder's Justice League arriving for mass consumption on streaming, Variety interviewed the executive about the release, and among the topics of discussion was the fan-generated chatter of efforts to get a sequel (and possibly more) made. The new edit of the 2017 movie has been previously referred to as a "storytelling cul-de-sac" and it appears that company line is holding firm. Said Sarnoff,
I appreciate that they love Zack’s work and we are very thankful for his many contributions to DC. We’re just so happy that he could bring his cut of the Justice League to life because that wasn’t in the plan until about a year ago. With that comes the completion of his trilogy.
Said trilogy began with Man of Steel back in 2013, continued with Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice in 2016, and has now come to an end in 2021 with Zack Snyder's Justice League. It should be noted that part of the reason why there is increased demand to #RestoreTheSnyderVerse is because certain things are set up at the end of the movie for future stories – but Ann Sarnoff's comments suggest that those cliffhangers will face the same fate as those featured in the theatrical cut of Justice League.
Continuing, the executive added that Warner Bros. as a company is happy with the effort that was made to bring the four-hour version of Zack Snyder's vision to life, but promoted that the DC Comics franchise has a lot of other exciting stuff on the horizon that fans should start anticipating instead:
We’re very happy we’ve done this, but we’re very excited about the plans we have for all the multi-dimensional DC characters that are being developed right now.
Looking at the slate of upcoming DC movies, that's most definitely not an understatement. Massive blockbusters and anticipated solo films are being planned for years to come, with crazy exciting releases including James Gunn's The Suicide Squad and Matt Reeves' The Batman.
What also can't be totally forgotten here is that while the Snyder fans are not going to get a direct follow-up to Zack Snyder's Justice League, the DC Extended Universe is hardly a dead enterprise. Jason Momoa is still playing Aquaman; Gal Gadot is still playing Wonder Woman; Ezra Miller is still playing Flash; and even Ben Affleck is still playing Batman. So while Snyder acolytes can be (and surely will be) upset that the filmmaker isn't being put in charge of the franchise's future, and that they won't be getting their specific demands met this time, hopefully there is some peace to be found in still getting to see the legendary characters in action.
Zack Snyder's Justice League is now available to stream on HBO Max, and those of you anticipating the future of DC movies only have to wait a few months for the next release, as The Suicide Squad will be arriving in theaters and dropping on the same streaming service on August 6.
