It looks like director Zack Snyder came very close to being replaced following the poor critical reception to Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. The Wrap claims to have a source who reveals that, following the backlash from Batman v Superman, Warner Bros. execs went to then-Warner Bros. President Greg Silverman to “suggest removing Snyder from “Justice League.” In response, Silverman sent DC President Jon Berg to oversee production.
The source claims that Greg Silverman was “quite harsh on Zack” in the aftermath of Batman v Superman, but that Warner Bros. ultimately decided to keep him on. Partly, it’s claimed, due to the distractions a high-profile firing would create for the production, and what it would imply about the well-being of the DCEU. “They were already in deep prep on Justice League and it would have cost a fortune. There’s stickiness to a director because there’s so much cost to unstick him,” claims the source. “Warners is a studio that almost to a fault always wants to project strength.”
When asked who was ultimately responsible for keeping Snyder on board, the source responded: “It wasn’t Greg’s decision. This was all happening on a Tsujihara level.” Kevin Tsujihara is the CEO of Warner Bros.
SEE ALSO: Why Warner Bros. should have left Zack Snyder’s DCEU alone
It was around this time that Zack Snyder’s daughter tragically committed suicide, and according to the source, Snyder wanted to fall deep into his Justice League directing duties, saying that the “work was gonna be kind of a refuge.” However, under pressure by Warner Bros., who wanted to go with “the lighter, different, more confectionary ideas of Joss [Whedon],” Snyder stepped down from the project to focus on his family. The source stresses: “It stopped being a good situation on any level.”
This just sounds like a mess all around. Given all of the rumors, and craziness surrounding Justice League’s production prior to release — not to mention Warner Bros. continually fickle blueprint for their extended universe — it wouldn’t be surprising in the least to learn that the above information was true. However, an “inside source” is hardly a bullet-proof one. Until more information trickles out on the matter, as always, take this with a grain of salt. In the meantime, we can all speculate on the existence of Zack Snyder’s Justice League cut.
SEE ALSO: Zack Snyder’s son criticises Warner Bros. for “meddling” with Justice League
Fueled by his restored faith in humanity and inspired by Superman’s selfless act, Bruce Wayne enlists the help of his newfound ally, Diana Prince, to face an even greater enemy. Together, Batman and Wonder Woman work quickly to find and recruit a team of metahumans to stand against this newly awakened threat. But despite the formation of this unprecedented league of heroes—Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Cyborg and The Flash—it may already be too late to save the planet from an assault of catastrophic proportions.
Justice League reunites Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice stars 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 and Robin Wright as General Antiope alongside J.K. Simmons (Whiplash) as Commissioner Gordon, Amber Heard (The Danish Girl) as Mera and Ciaran Hinds(Game of Thrones) as Steppenwolf.
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Originally published November 30, 2017. Updated December 19, 2019.
