Whether you loved it or hated it, 2017’s Justice League was certainly a film to remember, introducing a DC team-up movie that fans had been waiting for for years. While the film may not have lived up to fans’ initial expectations, this month the movie is getting a chance to redeem itself with a new cut of the movie dubbed the ‘Snyder Cut’. The name stems from Zack Synder, the film’s original director who departed mid-production due to creative differences. Following his departure, director Joss Whedon stepped in to direct the movie much of Synder’s original vision for the movie was abandoned, leading to the creation of the 2017 Justice League we’re familiar with. However, after the movie was declared a box office failure, both Warner Bros and fans stepped back to evaluate what went wrong in the development of the film. This internal investigation quickly spiraled into a fan and crew-led movement to release the version of the Justice League, as Synder had originally intended. While the fan push for a re-release seemed unlikely amidst rapidly changing plans for the DCEU, Warner Bros gave the official green light for the movie in February of 2020.
Now, after a seemingly endless wait, fans will finally be able to view the Snyder Cut this Thursday, March 18th on HBO Max. While many are excited to see what improvements Synder will bring to the story, the future of the DCEU still remains cloaked in a layer of mystery. While the Snyder Cut may feature the return of fan favorites such as Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman, Ben Affleck’s Batman, and Henry Cavil’s Superman, this may be the last time we see this exact trio teaming up. With Robert Pattinson’s The Batman just wrapping filming and news of a new reboot Superman script being written by Ta Nehisi Coates and J.J. Abrahams, Cavil’s and Affleck’s days as superheroes may be a thing of the past. Similarly, Wonder Woman 1984’s poor reception may mark an incoming end for Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman or at least a pivot to feature a new character that can team up with the new emerging Justice League. But never say never. News on the upcoming Flashpoint movie indicates a multiverse storyline that could be the key to keeping Cavil, Affleck, and Gadot around a little bit longer or potentially giving them a proper send-off. Regardless, through the Snyder Cut fans will finally be able to receive the Justice League film we’ve all been waiting for since 2017. Whether the film’s success will be enough to change the trajectory of the DCEU remains unknown, but it’ll certainly be an event we’d be hard-pressed to miss.
