Screenwriter Chris Terrio has stayed relatively quiet concerning the drama surrounding Joss Whedon and Justice League. However, the writer is now opening up about what went down in 2017, and Terrio is not mincing words in a new interview with Vanity Fair.
Terrio, known for his work on films like Argo and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, went in on Whedon’s version of Justice League. While he says Snyder is “too much of a gentleman,” Terrio held nothing back, going as far as to call Josstice League an “act of vandalism”
“The 2017 theatrical cut was an act of vandalism,” said Terrio. “Zack may be too much of a gentleman to say that, but I’m not. When those personal touches were removed from the film in the 2017 version, I was silent because I couldn’t really say anything, but of course, it hurt. All that remained was a dinosaur skeleton of what had been a great, lumbering beast. It might’ve been a big, unruly beast, and obviously, it’s four hours, and the movie is maximalist, and it’s operatic and, sure, it’s a little crazy, but I think the movie is crazy in the best way. I didn’t realize how much of the film was going to be changed—or vandalized, in my opinion. It became clear as I spoke to various actors that it was a wholesale dismantling of what had been there before. I did not hear from anyone who said it was a pleasant experience.”
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Terrio also had some words for Warner Bros., who infamously chopped out almost 30 minutes of Batman v Superman: “If you took 30 minutes out of Argo, as they were from Batman v Superman, it would make zero sense at all. Critics would say, ‘what a lazy screenplay,’ because the characters don’t have motivations, and it’s not coherent.”
In ZACK SNYDER’S JUSTICE LEAGUE, determined to ensure Superman’s (Henry Cavill) ultimate sacrifice was not in vain, Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck) aligns forces with Diana Prince (Gal Gadot) with plans to recruit a team of metahumans to protect the world from an approaching threat of catastrophic proportions. The task proves more difficult than Bruce imagined, as each of the recruits must face the demons of their own pasts to transcend that which has held them back, allowing them to come together, finally forming an unprecedented league of heroes. Now united, Batman (Affleck), Wonder Woman (Gadot), Aquaman (Jason Momoa), Cyborg (Ray Fisher), and The Flash (Ezra Miller) may be too late to save the planet from Steppenwolf, DeSaad, and Darkseid, and their dreadful intentions.
Zack Snyder’s Justice League is directed by Zack Snyder and features Henry Cavill as Superman, Ben Affleck as Batman, Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman, Ray Fisher as Cyborg, Jason Momoa as Aquaman, Ezra Miller as The Flash, Amy Adams as Lois Lane, Jeremy Irons as Alfred Pennyworth, Diane Lane as Martha Kent, Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor, Connie Nielsen as Queen Hippolyta, Robin Wright as General Antiope, J.K. Simmons as Commissioner Gordon, Amber Heard as Mera, Joe Morton as Silas Stone, Willem Dafoe as Vulko, Ciaran Hinds as Steppenwolf, Joe Manganiello as Deathstroke, Harry Lennix as Martian Manhunter, Kiersey Clemons as Iris West, Zheng Kai as Ryan Choi, Peter Guinness as DeSaad, Ray Porter as Darkseid, and Jared Leto as The Joker.
