Zack Snyder opens up about why he actually departed Justice League in the middle of production. When the DCEU first began, Snyder was one of the key architects of the entire universe, serving as the director for three movies within the franchise. His third, Justice League, was set to be an epic occasion, uniting the biggest DC characters on the big screen for the first time ever. Unfortunately, Snyder left the project in the middle of production due to a family tragedy; since then, he has largely kept away from the DCEU, save for his duties as a producer.
Joss Whedon was brought in to complete Justice League, and in doing so, he changed virtually everything that Snyder had planned. Upon its release, fans objected to Whedon's cut and campaigned for Warner Bros. to release Snyder's version of the film. It took several years, but fans' efforts paid off last year when Snyder confirmed his Justice League will debut on HBO Max. Though it has yet to receive a concrete date, Snyder shared Justice League will roll out sometime in March.
CinemaBlend writer Sean O'Connell has penned a book chronicling the entire Snyder Cut saga, titled Release the Snyder Cut. In it, O'Connell spoke to Snyder about his real reasons for departing Justice League. The previously given explanation was the death of his daughter led to his exit, but now Snyder has opened up more about what caused him to step away. Snyder said:
"I just was kind of done with it. I was in this place of [knowing] my family needs me more than this bullshit, and I just need to honor them and do the best I can to heal that world. I had no energy to fight [the studio], and fight for [the movie]. Literally, zero energy for that. I really think that’s the main thing. I think there’s a different world where I stayed and kind of tried. And I’m sure I could have . . . because every movie is a fight, right? I was used to that. But I just did not have the [energy]. There was no fight in me. I had been beaten by what was going on in my life and I just didn’t want to, I didn’t care to . . . that was kind of where I was."
Snyder's explanation makes perfect sense, even if it's hard to hear. Snyder was dealing with an incredible loss at the time of Justice League's production, and if he felt he couldn't give it his all, it was smart of him to step away. Fans might have been sad to lose Snyder's vision for Justice League, but he needed to do what was best for his mental health. Had he stayed on, he likely wouldn't have felt the same passion as before, and both Snyder and Justice League would have suffered.
It might have been a difficult journey, but things are finally coming full circle for Snyder's Justice League. Snyder led reshoots last year in order to complete the film, which will be released as a four-hour movie as opposed to a miniseries. There are still fans who want to see the director complete his entire DCEU plan, but currently, Snyder has no plans to do so. Even if nothing ever comes of the rest of his plans, that Justice League is happening at all is a thrilling occasion. Snyder endured a lot, but now he has the chance to make the movie he's always wanted. That's definitely a happy ending.
Source: CinemaBlend
