HBO Max announced today that it will exclusively world premiere Zack Snyder’s director’s cut of the Warner Bros. Pictures/DC feature film “Justice League” in 2021. Since 2017, fans have been actively pushing the #ReleaseTheSnyderCut movement.
“I want to thank HBO Max and Warner Brothers for this brave gesture of supporting artists and allowing their true visions to be realized. Also a special thank you to all of those involved in the SnyderCut movement for making this a reality,” said Snyder.
In the 2017 film, fuelled by his restored faith in humanity and inspired by Superman’s selfless act, Bruce Wayne and Diana Prince assemble a team of metahumans consisting of Barry Allen, Arthur Curry and Victor Stone to face the catastrophic threat of Steppenwolf and the Parademons who are on the hunt for three Mother Boxes on Earth.
According to Fandom, “Snyder left the project allegedly to spend time with his family after a personal tragedy, though there is speculation that he also did so in order to avoid having to direct mandated reshoots. Joss Whedon wrote and directed said reshoots, which were extensive and heavily modified the film. The theatrically released film resulted from said Whedon input.”
It is rumored that the Synder Cut is 214 minutes (3 hours 34 minutes long), compared to the 120 minutes of the Whedon version. The 2017 release of “Justice League” received mixed reviews and only grossed $230 million domestically and $650 million worldwide — less than “Wonder Woman” ($821mm), “Aquaman” ($1.1B), and “Batman v. Superman” ($873mm).
“Since I got here 14 months ago, the chant to #ReleaseTheSnyderCut has been a daily drumbeat in our offices and inboxes. Well, the fans have asked, and we are thrilled to finally deliver. At the end of the day, it really is all about them and we are beyond excited to be able to release Zack’s ultimate vision for this film in 2021. This could never have happened if it weren’t for the hard work and combined efforts of the teams at HBO Max and Warner Bros. Pictures,” said Robert Greenblatt, Chairman, Warner Media Entertainment and Direct-To-Consumer