Zack Snyder has opened up about how Joss Whedon's theatrical cut of Justice League destroyed his work on the DC Extended Universe blockbuster. The fifth film in Warner Bros.' interconnected comic book franchise, the story centers on the titular group of heroes as they team up to protect the world from the threat of Steppenwolf and his army of Parademons. The ensemble cast for the film included Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot, Jason Momoa, Ezra Miller, Ray Fisher, and Ciarán Hinds.

The first live-action feature adaptation of the DC Comics team is infamous due to its troubled production. Original director Snyder departed due to personal tragedy and creative differences with the studio. The studio brought in Whedon to rewrite and direct, leading to the toxic environment on the set. Following the film's financial and critical disappointment, WB elected to shift away from rushing the interconnected nature of its franchise and focus on individual stories instead. But after a significant fan movement, the studio gave into fans' outcries for Snyder to return and finish his version of the film, which released to generally positive reviews on HBO Max in March.

Related: The Justice League Sequels Would Have Been Bad News For New DCEU Characters

In an interview with Esquire to discuss his journey from departing the DCEU title to his Netflix zombie heist thriller Army of the Dead, Snyder opened up about his thoughts on Whedon having been brought on to the former film and the changes he made to it. While expressing his gratitude to the fans for their efforts to get him the ability to put together the Snyder Cut, he also gave his opinion on the theatrical cut initially chosen by WB. Read what he had to say below:

“It takes a lot out of you when you work for three years on a thing and then see it destroyed. That's big, and that's hard for anybody, as you can imagine.”

Darkseid Superman who is more powerful Justice League Snyder cut

The final product might not have been a masterpiece. Still, its warmer reception from critics certainly shows more trust on the studio's end would've gone a long way towards finding a happy balance of their desire for Marvel-like success and a more auteur approach to the material. To see him having come out seemingly stronger after his torturous experience with the studio should, at the very least, come as some comfort to fans ready to see Snyder continue delivering new films.

Whether you're an ardent lover of one cut or the other, WB's approach to bringing Justice League to life on the big screen was undeniably a distasteful one. As the franchise continues and tries to find its interconnected footing, one can only hope the creative freedom allotted to films such as Birds of Prey and The Suicide Squad continues. With Snyder having made a new home at Netflix with the Army of the Dead franchise, fans should at least be able to look forward to seeing him retain more creative control over his future projects, even if not in the superhero world.

More: Zack Snyder's 2021 Movies Prove He's Better Without Studio Intervention

Source: Esquire