‘Justice League’: Zack Snyder Teases a Surprise Cameo That Will ‘Blow Hardcore Fans’ Minds’
The long-awaited #SnyderCut of the Justice League is almost here, and director Zack Snyder has given some hints about what’s coming. After a personal tragedy took him away from the film in 2017, Snyder says he chose to return as part of his healing process.
He promises fans a “giant movie” with a ton of changes. This includes a new ending with a surprise cameo that will “blow hardcore fans’ minds.”
Zack Snyder has never seen ‘Justice League’
When Justice League hit theaters in November 2017 it had Snyder’s name in the credits as the director. But, it was nothing like the movie he wanted to make. Months earlier, Snyder had walked away from the film due to personal tragedy.
Joss Whedon came in from the Marvel Cinematic Universe to take over. But instead of picking up where Snyder left off, Whedon completely remade the flick. The studio demanded rewrites and hasty reshoots – and it showed.
The film that saw Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Cyborg, The Flash, and Aquaman team up ended up being a box office disaster. It took in $657 million worldwide. But due to the $300 million budget, the $25 million reshoots, the $150 marketing costs, and the box office take from theaters, the film ended up losing money.
When Snyder’s wife Deborah saw the Whedon cut with Dark Knight trilogy director Christopher Nolan, they immediately came out of the screening room and told Snyder not to watch it. He took their advice.
“They came and they just said, ‘You can never see that movie,'” Snyder told Vanity Fair.
“Because I knew it would break his heart,” Deborah added.
Zack Snyder dedicated his cut to his daughter Autumn
After an unprecedented and relentless social media campaign for the #SnyderCut, Warner Bros. announced in May 2020 that fans would get their wish. Zack and Deborah – his longtime producing partner – went back to work after taking two years off to focus on their family.
The tragedy that took the Snyders away from Justice League in 2017 was the death of their 20-year-old daughter Autumn. Amid a long struggle with depression, she came home from college and took her own life. At that point, battling with the studio over the film seemed pointless. All the Snyders wanted to do was focus on their children.
As part of the healing process, the Snyders did eventually go back to work. They restored Zack’s original version of the Justice League, and it will now be a four-hour event on HBO Max that will raise money for suicide prevention programs.
“It’s such a lightning strike in the center of this whole saga,” Snyder says of his daughter’s death. “It has informed everything we’ve done since.”
Snyder says that his daughter is the reason that he decided to come back. He says that without her, the #SnyderCut “absolutely would not have happened.”
“At the end of the movie, it says ‘For Autumn,’” Snyder revealed.
Zack Snyder made his cut of the ‘Justice League’ exactly the way he wanted
When Snyder initially left the project, he took the four hours of raw footage he had shot with him. After Whedon changed about 75 percent of the film, it took $70 million to undo the damage he had done.
Because the #SnyderCut has nothing to do with the official DCEU timeline, the director was able to take the story anywhere he wanted to. Snyder took Superman out of his iconic blue and red suit and put him into a sleek black one instead.
He also reshot the ending, which reportedly has “a hero cameo that will blow hard-core fans’ minds.” Snyder chose to present his movie in the boxy 4:3 format instead of widescreen so fans could watch it on IMAX screen. He also added some personal details.
Snyder closes the film with Allison Crowe’s version of Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah. It was Autumn’s favorite song. He also made the movie with people he loves, and that helped the director heal.
“When you think about the catharsis of it, if I was a potter, I would’ve made some pottery to look for some way through this,” he says. “But I’m a filmmaker, so you get this giant movie.”
As for that hero cameo at the end of the film, the fan speculation online is running rampant. Many fans hoped it would be Ryan Reynolds reprising his infamous Green Lantern role. However, the actor squashed that theory on Twitter. He said that for him, the suit stays in the closet…or computer.
The #SnyderCut of the Justice League premieres March 18 on HBO Max.
