Welp, it’s time to talk about one of the biggest announcements and panels of the DC FanDome, Zack Snyder’s Justice League cut. Truth be told, I am not a fan of Snyder’s work, DC related or otherwise, and I think the theatrical version was…fine. It wasn’t as good as Wonder Woman, but it was less problematic than Suicide Squad (my guilty/problematic fave) but it was a good bit better than Batman v Superman or Man of Steel in my eyes. Point is, this was not something that I was asking for.
Still, the events that forced Snyder to stop working on Justice League back in 2016 were a tragedy and while I may not care for his films or philosophy I am glad that the man gets a chance to go back and finish what he started, and that the massive number of fans who clamored for the Snyder Cut are getting what they wanted. It might not be for me, but not everything has to be.
The panel itself was hosted by Zack Snyder, who spoke to and answered questions from most of the actors who played members of the Justice League (Jason Momoa was absent for whatever reason) as well as spending time interviewing a pair of fans who were instrumental in the fan push to get the Snyder Cut released to begin with. This was a nice, sweet touch, and I appreciated it, it was very kind and well put together.
We did get actual information on the nature of the Snyder Cut as well. It will be a four-part series, with each part being an hour-long, making it double the length of the theatrical film. Once all four parts will be released they’ll release a compiled, big film version as well if you want to watch it that way. It will be on HBO Max, but they’re working on figuring out a digital distribution service for non-American viewers as well.
We didn’t get much in the way of information about the plot of the movie and in what ways it will differ from the theatrical cut though, the most noticeably obvious change being that Superman now sports a black and silver suit when he returns. There was a teaser though, backed by a cover of the song Hallelujah, which showed a series of scenes that were, by and large, new and unique to the Snyder Cut (didn’t notice any new Aquaman footage though, curiously). It looked… like a Snyder film, dark and gritty, very reminiscent of the trailer for Watchmen. If that’s an aesthetic you’re fond of then you’ll like the teaser. I certainly didn’t hate it myself, it was well put together, even if it’s for a project I’m not particularly interested in.
One thing worth noting is Snyder’s declaration that Ray Fisher’s Cyborg will be the emotional heart of the upcoming project, the center that brings everything together. That is admirable and honestly, we could use more superhero movies centered on People of Color, so I hope he’s being earnest and truthful.
Ultimately this was a nice panel centered around Zack Snyder thanking the fans for the push to get his version of the Justice League out and into the view of the public, and that’s to be commended. Regardless of my personal feelings about the project it was focused on, it was an earnest, kind, heartwarming panel and I’m glad to see the hopes of these fans and Snyder himself being rewarded.
Images courtesy of Warner Bros.
