Ben Affleck has opened up about the unorthodox nature of working with two different directors on the next DC Extended Universe film, Justice League. When director Zack Snyder left Justice League earlier this year due to a family tragedy, Joss Whedon promptly stepped in to finish the film for DC and Snyder. Naturally, this led to a series of reshoots that apparently involved making Cyborg’s (Ray Fisher) character a little lighter in tone.
With Whedon onboard to finish up Justice League, this marks the director’s third foray into team-up comic book superhero films after helming Marvel’s first two Avengers entries (the director is also slated to make a solo Batgirl movie set in the DCEU), before shifting to DC. Affleck’s comments suggest that because of Whedon’s late-stage involvement and heavy oversight over the reshoots in Justice League, the film will very much contain the creative DNA of both Snyder and Whedon in the finished product.
Related: Joss Whedon Isn't Simply Making Justice League 'Lighter'
While speaking with EW, Affleck talked at length about the process of working with Whedon and Snyder both and commenting on the nature of how their distinct styles meshed, saying:
“[Justice League is] an interesting product of two directors, both with kind of unique visions, both with really strong takes. I’ve never had that experience before making a movie. I have to say, I really love working with Zack, and I really love the stuff we’ve done with Joss.”
Naturally, with speculation that Whedon’s reshoots are making Justice League a lighter film, Affleck’s quotes certainly make sense in that sense. However, while Snyder is certainly known for his darker take on comic characters (especially the divisive Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice that released last year), reshoots during production are a natural part of the filmmaking process. There’s also the very real possibility that DC is implementing a lighter tone simply because of the largely positive response to Patty Jenkins’ Wonder Woman, which made use of a distinctly lighter tone when compared to previous DCEU entries.
Regardless, DC is experiencing some great buzz after Wonder Woman’s box office (the film recently passed an impressive milestone by grossing over $400 million domestically) and critical success, which should help Justice League get back some good will with common moviegoers. That said, uncertainties still remain over whether or not both Whedon and Snyder will get directing credit for Justice League, making it unclear how much of the film truly is the product of either director. There’s also the matter of how well Snyder and Whedon’s styles will complement each other - or if they will at all. Fans will simply have to wait for Justice League to release later this year to find out the answer to either of those pressing concerns.
NEXT: Official Justice League Theatrical Trailer
Source: EW
