Jeremy Irons does not mince words as he shares his true thoughts on Joss Whedon's Justice League. The DCEU is built upon largely standalone franchises right now, but there was once a time when the universe was gearing up towards its own Avengers-like team-up movie. Justice League was released in 2017 and starred some of DC's biggest superheroes, such as Superman (Henry Cavill), Batman (Ben Affleck), and Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot). The prospect of seeing the Justice League on the big screen for the first time was appealing, but behind the scenes, the film hit a lot of roadblocks.
Zack Snyder was originally attached to direct, having helmed the DCEU's the first two films and envisioning Justice League as a key part in his franchise plan. However, studio pressure and a personal tragedy led Snyder to depart in the middle of production. WB brought in Whedon to complete the film. What initially seemed like a good combination proved to be a poor decision, as Whedon then changed a significant portion of Justice League and acted unprofessionally on set. The version of Justice League that was released in theaters in 2017 earned poor reviews from both fans and critics, and it led to the #ReleaseTheSnyderCut movement as viewers called for the release of Snyder's original vision. The Snyder Cut was released just last year.
Jeremy Irons, who played Alfred Pennyworth in the film, gave his honest opinion about Justice League while speaking to Variety for his new film Munich: The Edge of War. Irons was asked if he's seen the famed Snyder Cut, to which he replied that he hasn't yet. However, he is very interested in watching it, as he's spoken to Snyder about it. Irons then added, "It couldn’t have been worse," seemingly referring to Whedon's cut of Justice League. When the interviewer confessed he thought Whedon's was "dreadful," Irons simply replied, "Well, so did I."
Much has been said about how the theatrical Justice League was a poor attempt at uniting DC's most iconic team, with its lackluster plot and ineffectual attempts at comedy. Zack Snyder's Justice League arrived on HBO Max last year, and while many can debate whether it is a good movie all on its own, it is miles better than the version that was released in 2017. Snyder was able to restore many important storylines and deepen several character arcs, most notably when it came to Cyborg (Ray Fisher).
Irons' displeasure with Whedon's Justice League isn't surprising, seeing as few people have good things to say about it. It would be interesting to hear how he compares that version to Snyder's whenever he does watch the latter. Justice League stars like Gadot and Fisher have spoken up about Whedon's poor behavior on set, which only casts the original film into deeper shadow. Whether Irons had a good experience with Whedon is unclear, but it doesn't sound like he looks upon the experience favorably. It might be better to just leave it in the past.
Source: Variety
