Easily, one of the most vocal champions from the Justice League cast on behalf of the Release the Snyder Cut campaign was the king of the oceans, Jason Momoa. The action star remains incredibly dedicated to Zack Snyder, who cast him as Arthur Curry and essentially handed the actor the biggest franchise role of his career. And Momoa knew that the version that had been released into theaters was not Snyder’s true vision. So during a press day on behalf of Momoa’s upcoming film, Dune, I showed him a physical copy of the 4K copy of Zack Snyder’s Justice League, and his enthusiastic response is captured above.
The story of the Snyder Cut of Justice League is legendary in its own right. Following a devastating tragedy in his personal life, Zack Snyder stepped away from his 2017 blockbuster Justice League, and Warner Bros. asked Joss Whedon to complete it. It’s clear, in hindsight, that the studio wanted Whedon to alter the mature tone of Snyder’s version, bringing the existing footage more in line with the Marvel movies that were cleaning up at the box office.
Only, the Snyder fans who showed up to see Justice League were horrified by the monstrosity that was released into theaters. Crude jokes, butchered photography, and substandard CGI derailed the movie, and fans knew there was a better version out there. For three years, they fought a very public campaign to Release the Snyder Cut of Justice League, and earlier this year, the four-hour movie made its way to HBO Max.
Jason Momoa frequently used his social media platforms to champion the release of Zack Snyder’s cut, and when I showed him the physical copy of the movie, he explained why, telling CinemaBlend:
Here’s the thing, I’m excited for film to just be that way, anyways. Listen, if you want to make a cut… I’ve made my own films. You’ve got so many people coming in, and they tamper with it, and they think (they know) what the audience wants, and this or that. Man, it’s so cool that maybe, wherever we’re releasing, you can have that director’s cut. HBO MAX, they support that, and they get to put out the Snyder Cut. I fought my ass off for that. That’s what I signed up for. The other stuff? Listen, I understand that we had a huge tragedy. But it’s still… I respect, Warners and Zack and everyone coming together, at least letting it see the light of day, for the fans. What he intended. I mean, Jesus Christ, the whole Wonder Woman section is better than any other Wonder Woman part that’s ever been! The action in that was the best I’ve ever seen!
He’s not lying. Everything about Zack Snyder’s interpretation of Justice League (the original version, as it always was meant to be) triumphs over the theatrical cut. And Jason Momoa clearly loves the fact that Snyder to get his cut out into the world. Momoa adores collaborating with visionary filmmakers, and is next one will be Dune with Denis Villeneuve, which comes out at the end of October.
As for Zack Snyder’s Justice League, it’s now available on DVD, Blu-ray and 4K, so grab a copy.
