Zack Snyder’s Justice League is on its way to HBO Max, and at four-hours long, it could work best as a multi-part series instead of a standalone movie. The DCEU has had quite the experience in the last few years ever since Snyder’s cut was rewritten and reshot by Warner Bros. and Joss Whedon. After Snyder had to step away from the project after a tragedy struck his family, his DC picture was almost entirely retooled as Whedon came in to take over. Following the release of Justice League in theaters back in 2017, it became one of the most negatively received superhero movies of all time while also marking a box office low-point for the DCEU at the time.

For the next 3 years, details about Snyder's original cut of the film trickled out with regular frequency, supercharging an ongoing fan campaign "release the Snyder Cut." The campaign paid off in the end as HBO Max will be bringing the Snyder Cut to screen. An exact release date and format have yet to be confirmed, but the potential of a 4-part series has been heavily discussed and makes a lot of sense.

Related: Why Zack Snyder's Justice League is Getting So Much Extra Work Done

While Snyder has talked multiple times about his plan for his cut to be completed as both a 4-hour film and a 4-part series, the episodic approach is a favor for the film. Either format is, in the end, a huge accomplishment for Zack Snyder’s Justice League as industry voices kept insisting that not only would WarnerMedia never release it, but that his cut actually didn’t exist at all. For a DCEU film of this scale focusing on the Justice League featuring some of the biggest starts in the world and running at over 4 hours long, it's only better for Snyder’s vision to tell the story episodically, but it would also mark a new chapter in how superhero storytelling can be done on scene.

A Snyder Cut Series Fixes One of The Biggest Snyder DCEU Criticisms

Zack Snyder Cut Batman Wonder woman superman

One of the biggest criticisms against Snyder’s DCEU films have focused on the length of his movies. However, one of the things that makes Snyder’s comic book films stand out more is the fact that he does invest in going beyond the traditional 2-hour format. With the rich history of the DC Universe at his disposal, it’s understandable why he likes to explore and execute as much as possible with the characters he has to play with. The ultimate edition of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice or Watchmen is a testament to why Snyder films benefit from having a longer runtime. With a longer run, Snyder’s storylines get good breathing room and a chance to be properly executed.

Related: Everything Revealed About Ben Affleck's Batman Movie Story

Not only are Snyder movies better when they get to be long, but it will add something new for the DCEU. What HBO Max is doing for Snyder’s Justice League is what Peter Jackson did for The Lord of the Rings franchise with the extended editions. Jackson’s original trilogy, while certainly long, gave that universe and those characters an opportunity to go through a massive journey and hence why they have become huge classics. Some may call the Snyder Cut’s 4-hour length an experiment, but it’s actually a huge step forwards for DC Comics movies as it elevates the sense of scale that can be tackled by these properties.

An Episodic Release Helps Differentiate From Other DC Movies

DCEU Justice League Concept Art

To say Zack Snyder’s Justice League is different from every other DC movie is an understatement. Because of Warner Bros.’ interference, Snyder’s vision had to suffer and be discarded in favor of what audience members got in 2017. While the campaign, ultimately, was a success, this is the most unusual thing to have ever happened to any Warner Bros. produced DC Comics film in the history of the studio. So from the get-go, this is already one of the most different DC movies of all time. But what they’re doing with HBO Max makes it stand out even more. Not only would a DCEU film get to premiere as an exclusive on a streaming service (Wonder Woman 1984 also got a theatrical release), but if it also comes out in a serialized format for four weeks in a row, it provides an entirely new experience, closer to a season of a show like Game of Thrones than a traditional comic book release.

Related: Justice League: Batman's F-Bomb Would Not Have Fixed The DCEU

One of the best things with superheroes as TV shows is the momentum they get to have every week. Comic book shows are bigger and better than ever as superhero stories are natural for serialized storytelling. If the Snyder Cut were to have an episodic release, it would tap into the watercooler effect. Despite the fact that Snyder has teased a lot about what to expect from his cut, there will be a portion of the audience that gets to experience this fresh without knowing anything that been put out there. So while Zack Snyder's Justice League will get to be a film in its entirety, an episodic release would build anticipation and drive conversations over a longer period of time as one episode drops after another.

Zack Snyder's Justice League Would Generate More Buzz With a Weekly Release

Zack Snyder Justice League HBO Max pitch

With the Snyder Cut getting to operate as a miniseries, it will be a massive buzz builder for HBO Max in the months to come. As Justice League is aimed to be released in March 2021, confirmed by Snyder himself, the marketing approach for its arrival will be a unique one compared to how other DC films have done it. With weekly releases, there's a lot more the PR department can do to start creating buzz for it. There’s at least one more trailer set to come out online before the Snyder Cut is released.

Related: Deathstroke Should Be HBO Max's Next DCEU Movie After Justice League

But what is exciting with Snyder’s Justice League coming out this way is that it’ll be a new experience for HBO Max itself. The HBO streaming platform has only been around since late May 2020 so this is already a huge thing for WarnerMedia since this kind of release of a DC film has never happened before. What will also be a huge help in creating buzz for the film is how the Snyder Cut is distributed internationally since not every country has HBO Max currently. Justice League isn’t only having the attention of the United States, but the entire world as the campaign was fueled by fans from multiple countries.

The next few months are going to be interesting as it gets closer and closer to March 2021. Depending on how this goes, it'll likely set a precedent for HBO Max as they begin getting more into producing DC content. That is the kind of buzz that Zack Snyder's Justice League will create because of what has gone down in the last few years. The Snyder Cut has, without a doubt, had one of the most intriguing stories in film history. Zack Snyder's Justice League cut already has a lot going for itself, but splitting it up into multiple installments allows HBO Max to capitalize on it even more.

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