As information about Justice League's extensive reshoots continues to trickle out, a new rumor suggests Joss Whedon isn't just lightening the tone of DC's big team up movie - he's also changing the film's ending.

While Whedon took the reins of Justice League from director Zack Snyder when the latter suffered a family tragedy, the Avengers director was already working on script rewrites. As the DCEU attempts to move away from the grim and gritty aesthetic of Snyder's Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice, and closer to the earnest, optimistic worldview of Patty Jenkins' Wonder Woman, bringing in Whedon to lighten Justice League's tone made a tremendous amount of sense.

But according to a new report, Whedon's also making a significant change to the film's story. /Film's Peter Sciretta has shared the rumor that Whedon is changing the film's ending. Originally conceived as the first film of a two part story, Justice League will no longer end on a cliffhanger, and will de-emphasize elements of the story that suggest Darkseid's arrival on Earth is imminent. Sciretta also claims that a flashback scene was shot featuring Robin Wright's Wonder Woman character, Antiope, that beefs up Steppenwolf's credibility as the movie's big bad, rather than just an opening act for Darkseid in a future film.

If true, this all makes a lot of sense. While the notion of a two-film Justice League story was jettisoned before filming began, it's unclear how much Chris Terrio's original script was altered by the time Snyder stepped behind the camera. And featuring Darkseid - arguably the most powerful villain in the DC Universe - so early in the DCEU's run always felt too soon. As the DCEU realigns itself around the creative vision of Geoff Johns - along with more likeminded collaborators like Whedon and Jenkins - it makes sense that Darkseid would be left off the table for the immediate future, as the films refocus on introducing us to the heroes of DC and their respective corners of the universe.

This also further muddies the already plenty muddy waters regarding whether or not Justice League is, at this point, a Zack Snyder or Joss Whedon film. While cast and crew previously downplayed Whedon's contributions, Ben Affleck recently suggested the movie is truly a product of two directors. As this is likely Snyder's final DCEU outing, it will be interesting to see how much of his influence and signature style remains in the final product.

Next: Justice League’s Steppenwolf Has New Secret Origin?

Source: /Film

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