Director Zack Snyder and writer Chris Terrio have revealed some of the alternate titles they pitched for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.
“I remember when there was a back-and-forth that I had with the studio, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice was like the only title that [Warner Bros. liked],” Snyder recalled, speaking at Justice Con. “The whole ‘v’ instead of ‘versus,’ it was like this crazy negotiation. I was like, ‘Guys, can’t we just do something like Son of Sun and Knight of Night, or something that’s a little bit more poetic?’ And they were like, ‘Absolutely not’ [Laughs]. I was like, ‘Is it a court case?'”
“For a while, we talked about actually titling it ‘Justice League: [Subtitle],’ to suggest that this movie was going to be the beginning of the Justice League," Terrio added, "even though it didn’t really look like it. Like ‘Justice League: Foundations,’ or ‘Justice League: Rising.'”
In a previous interview, Terrio admitted he hated Batman v Superman's title and felt like it didn't reflect the more thoughtful story he had set out to tell. "The intention of the film was to do something interesting and dark and complex, not quite as Las Vegas, bust ’em up, WWE match as Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice," he said. He was equally frustrated by the movie's theatrical cut and way it removed "30 minutes that give the characters motivation for the climax."
There was even some debate about the title of Batman v Superman's director's cut, which was eventually dubbed Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Ultimate Edition. While promoting his cut of Justice League, Snyder revealed Warner Bros. wouldn't let him call BvS' Ultimate Edition a director's cut "because they didn't want people to think the theatrical version wasn't my version." And while the film would go on to perform well on the home market, Snyder said "[It's] a thing that wouldn't exist unless I said 'Hey guys, let's make this, do this version of the movie.'"
Zack Snyder's Justice League stars Ben Affleck as Batman, Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman, Henry Cavill as Superman, Amy Adams as Lois Lane, Jason Momoa as Aquaman, Ezra Miller as The Flash, Ray Fisher as Cyborg, Jeremy Irons as Alfred Pennyworth, Diane Lane as Martha Kent, Ray Porter as Darkseid, Ciarán Hinds as Steppenwolf, Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor and J.K. Simmons as Commissioner Gordon. The film is now streaming on HBO Max.
Source: YouTube, via Coming Soon