Zack Snyder has confirmed that his black-and-white version of Justice League will be released on HBO Max. The Man of Steel and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice director will finally get to share the highly-anticipated "Snyder Cut" on March 18th.
The release of the Snyder Cut became a reality largely thanks to the robust years-long social media campaign from fans, which began following the disappointing release of 2017's Justice League. Snyder was forced to step away from the original film after a family tragedy, which led to Joss Whedon taking over and doing extensive reshoots that resulted a film that was rejected by both audiences and critics. Fans now have only a few weeks left to wait for Snyder’s original vision, and the film’s marketing campaign is in full swing.
IGN posted a virtual chat with Snyder earlier today, during which he confirmed that the black-and-white version of the film will be released on HBO Max. Snyder refers to it as the Justice League: Justice Is Gray edition, and noted that it’s his favorite version of the film. He adds that he understands why people want to see it in color, and that the color version will still be the first one released. However, he sees the black-and-white IMAX version of the film as the ultimate version and he looks forward to when audiences can be back in theaters and eventually see both versions on the big screen. Snyder noted that he’s not sure when the black-and-white version will hit HBO Max, but that he expects it to be some time after the initial release:
“Yes, there is a - what we call - the ‘Justice Is Gray’ edition of Justice League. Zack Snyder’s Justice League: Justice Is Gray edition, which is the black-and-white version, which I’m a huge advocate of and a huge admirer of and personally for me, it’s my favorite version of the movie. I understand that people want to see it in color and that’s great and I really want them to enjoy it in color but, for me, the ultimate version is the black-and-white IMAX version of the movie which is sort of the penultimate, ridiculous movie that shouldn’t exist at its highest, most fetishistic level and I really love that […] The black-and-white version of Justice League will be released on HBO Max at some point after release I believe.”
Snyder previously hinted at the monochrome version of Justice League by sharing black-and-white promotional images of the film, before confirming the Justice League: Justice Is Gray title. He has also previously stated that he sees the black-and-white IMAX version of the film as its purest version partly because it’s how he saw the footage on his computer for two years, before the Snyder Cut had an official release plan. Snyder also mentioned that they shot the entire movie in the aspect ratio that would be ideal for IMAX theaters, so it’s clear that he has hopes for a theatrical release down the line.
Snyder’s love for the black-and-white version of Justice League comes as no surprise knowing his affinity for muted color palettes and dramatic visuals. It would have been a very bold move to only release a black-and-white version, however, so it make sense that the color version will hit HBO Max first. It’s also exciting to know that Snyder still envisions a theatrical release for Zack Snyder's Justice League later on, as it would be a wonderful way to celebrate returning to the theater.
Source: IGN
