Director Zack Snyder has revealed that he was not the one to choose Joss Whedon to finish Justice League. Snyder stepped away from shooting the DC movie due to a personal tragedy, and Whedon signed on to finish the movie. However, things didn't go according to plan.

Justice League was supposed to be DC's answer to Marvel's Avengers. It featured Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, The Flash, Cyborg, and a resurrected Superman teaming up to defeat the alien Steppenwolf and his army of parademons. Instead of becoming a smash hit however, it under-performed at the box office and was critically panned for its lackluster writing, uninteresting villain, and questionable CGI (specifically the removal of Henry Cavill's mustache). One of the biggest critiques was its erratic tone, which was revealed to be due to the film having two different directors.

Related: Justice League Theory: The Snyder Cut Introduces DC's Green Lantern

Snyder's films are known for being dark, gritty, and highly stylized. This contrasts with Whedon's lighter, more comedic style. This led fans to wonder why Whedon was chosen to be brought on to finish Justice League. During a panel for Justice Con, Snyder was asked if it was his decision to hand the film over to someone else. Snyder revealed that while it was his decision to leave the film, the choice of who to bring on for a replacement director was not his. He said that the choice was made "by committee," and that his attention was focused elsewhere.

Though it has not been revealed as to why Whedon was brought on to replace Snyder, fans have surmised that he was likely chosen due to his work in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Whedon directed the first two Avengers movies, the first of which became one of the highest-grossing movies of all-time. The Avengers was an ambitious crossover that had never been done before, and Whedon managed to get it right. This probably led Warner Bros. and DC to ask Whedon to finish Justice League, as it would be one of the first times multiple DC heroes would appear in a live-action film together.

As Whedon's reputation seemingly makes him a logical choice to replace Snyder, it is odd that Warner Bros. didn't at least ask Snyder for any suggestions on who should finish Justice League. Warner Bros also could've reached out to another director that was already involved in the DCEU, like Wonder Woman's Patty Jenkins. The Justice League Snyder Cut is now coming out in 2021 on HBO Max, but had Warner Bros. taken Snyder's opinion into account, the reputation of Justice League could currently be better. Not only could Justice League have initially succeeded with critics and at the box office, but the studio could have completely avoided the drama of the #ReleaseTheSnyderCut movement.

More: Justice League: The Snyder Cut’s Biggest Improvement Will Be Cyborg, Not Superman

Source: Justice Con

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