HBO Max's upcoming alternative cut of the Warner Bros. film has officially been titled Zack Snyder's Justice League instead of the more informal term, The Snyder Cut, coined by fans. The director announced the movie back in May, following an online campaign spurred by fans who were disappointed in the version of Justice League that was finished by Joss Whedon after Snyder left the project due to the tragic loss of his daughter. The version of Justice League seen in theaters largely discarded Snyder's established tone for the universe. It featured many key scenes re-shot to insert jokes and lighten the tone, resulting in a critical and financial failure that confused and confounded audiences.
However, with the fan campaign gaining momentum, Snyder pitched a four-hour version of his original vision to Warner Bros., who greenlit it to be released in four hour-long parts on HBO Max in 2021. Snyder has since been juggling work on the new edit, including reshoots, with his next movie, Netflix's zombie heist thriller Army of the Dead. Snyder has already teased fans with the mostly dialogue-free trailer for his version of Justice League, dropping during DC FanDome, where it appeared with the title Zack Snyder's Justice League.
Now, a report on the reshoots from THR, which dropped the bombshell that Jared Leto is reprising his role as The Joker for Snyder, reveals that Zack Snyder's Justice League is the official title that HBO Max will release the movie under. This puts to bed the moniker The Snyder Cut, at least officially, as well as thoughts that it might be called The Director's Cut of Justice League or some other combination of credits.
The news should come as no surprise to fans who were paying attention to the trailer, though to have it officially confirmed does drive home the point that it will be Snyder's vision that fans will be watching on HBO Max. In fact, such is WB's faith in Snyder that they've reportedly invested millions in reshoots that will allow him to finish the movie as he saw it. Whether the result ends up being worth it remains to be seen, but there's no doubt that the studio is convinced Snyder can make a better version that Whedon ended up handing in.
With confirmation that Henry Cavill's Superman's resurrection will be dealt with in a far more satisfying manner and the inclusion of DC's big bad Darkseid, fans will likely be pleased with Zack Snyder's Justice League no matter the quality of the final product. However, there's little indication that it could be any more confusing than Whedon's version and is set to finally close out Snyder's DC Extended Universe trilogy that began with Man of Steel in 2013.
Source: THR