Justice League was meant to be a Lord of the Rings-style trilogy in Zack Snyder's original conception of the series of films. Snyder kicked off the DCEU with 2013's Man of Steel before going to direct Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice as a prelude to his 2017 film. Unfortunately, Snyder left Justice League during post-production and Warner Bros. brought in Joss Whedon to complete the film. Whedon severely altered Snyder's vision for the film and even DC executives felt that his version of Justice League was a mess.
Luckily, fans began campaigning for Snyder to complete his original vision for the 2017 film. What began as a long-shot social media movement became an actual project for the longtime director when WB announced in 2020 that Snyder would be completing his version of Justice League to be released on HBO Max. The four hour cut was originally meant to be released as a four-part series on the streamer, but will now hit HBO Max in its entirety on March 18.
Snyder has steadily teased his cut of the film and what it had in store for the future of the DCEU and he told Total Film that he had a specific trilogy in mind when planning out future Justice League entries. Snyder says that he imagined the Justice League sequence of films as a Lord of the Rings style trilogy, with the first film just the beginning of what he had in story for the iconic heroes. Justice League was meant to serve as a primer for what was to come in the DCEU, but Snyder says that, ultimately, his idea is unlikely to ever be fully realized.
For me, there's a trilogy of films that I sort of lean on. Man Of Steel, Batman v Superman, and Justice League are a continuity, and within that three-movie arc there is a consistent tone. Frankly, it was meant as the primer for another two [Justice League] movies – not that those movies are ever going to get photographed, I don't see that happening – and it stays true to that concept. It was meant to be like Lord Of The Rings and not a one-off. That's the way I think about it.
With the impending release of the Snyder Cut, the director has consistently teased what he would have done in a sequel for Justice League. The sequel would have been set entirely in the Knightmare world that the original film spends some time in. Snyder is set to revisit these Knightmare sequences in his cut of the film, with Jared Leto's Joker making an appearance in the only newly filmed scene for the four-hour film. Unfortunately, that may be the last time fans get a glimpse of the apocalyptic future.
Snyder and DC executives have both made it clear that the future of the DCEU will be vastly different than what came before it. Fans are hoping that a big enough reaction to the Snyder Cut could change that, but it seems unlikely at this point, which is a shame, especially considering these Lord of the Rings comments. Snyder's Justice League has all the makings of an epic trilogy - an over-arching villain in Darkseid and a vast, enemy ridden landscape. Sadly, Snyder's vision will likely remain a major "What if?" unless both Snyder and WB have a change of heart.
Source: Total Film
