Zack Snyder is not being shy about the "torture" Warner Bros put him through during the making of the Snyder Cut of Justice League. Fans and critics have offered praise to Snyder's cut of the film, with many hopeful to one day see more of the director's vision in the DCEU. Whether or not that will ever happen is likely dependent on how long Snyder remembers the treatment he got from the studio this time around.
The theatrical cut of Justice League, which was released in 2017, was re-shot and directed by an uncredited Joss Whedon. Following the film's poor reception, many fans, and eventually even cast and crew, joined a growing movement demanding that Warner Bros "Release the Snyder Cut," believing Snyder's original vision would have resulted in a far superior movie. Their collective prayers were answered when Warner Bros. announced work on the project would begin in 2020, and again when HBO Max officially released Zack Snyder's Justice League on March 18, 2021.
Snyder spoke about his relationship with Warner Bros. during the Justice League Snyder Cut experience in an interview with Uproxx. While he does not regret getting the chance to make the Snyder Cut, he says the studio didn't make it easy for him. According to Snyder, "they’re the ones that have been aggressive, not me. I haven’t done anything." He went on to talk about some of what he dealt with, explaining "Every day they’d turn around and do some weird passive-aggressive thing. So, I don’t know. It’s weird." He continued:
“It was cool to do the Snyder Cut of Justice League and that was fun and everything. But Warner Bros. still tortured me the whole time for whatever reason, they can’t help it. I don’t know why I’m such a f*cking pain in their ass because I’m not trying to be, honestly.”
Furthermore, Snyder stated that what happened with the studio is "not a normal situation. It's a once-in-a-generation bizarro situation!” From the original experience back in 2016-2017, all the way to the Snyder Cut where Warner Bros was still giving him notes and forcing his hand (such as the insistence on removing Green Lantern John Stewart from the movie), it is not hard to see Snyder's point. Luckily for fans, he loved the project and made sure to say he had a "great time making Justice League" and that he was "glad I got to finish it."
The Justice League Snyder Cut had a budget upwards of $70 million and likely would not have occurred if not for the worldwide Coronavirus pandemic that shut down productions in 2020. While Warner Bros. execs may have been shrewd enough to see an opportunity with the Snyder Cut to release something new during the pandemic, they likely were not thrilled at the prospect of more or less giving in to public demand and admitting they were wrong to replace Snyder with Whedon in the first place. Frankly, it should not have been that surprising to get a little hostility from the studio, especially as the state of the DCEU has been such a sensitive subject for DC and Warner Bros. for some time now. The main question that is on the minds of fans who loved the new cut most likely centers around whether or not Snyder and Warner Bros. could ever reconcile, and find a way to continue the Snyderverse.
SOURCE: Uproxx