Zack Snyder claims that Warner Bros.'s initial plan for the Snyder Cut was to release the director's raw, unedited footage to appease fans.
In a massive piece on the release of Snyder's upcoming recut of Justice League, Vanity Fair spoke to many of the players involved in the unprecedented Hollywood product. In uncovering the story of how Warner Bros. decided to finance and release a new take on one of their existing films, all to please a vocal group of fans, they learned the equally unusual path the project almost took.
According to Snyder, Warner Bros. approached the director about simply releasing the raw footage of the film he had on his laptop without any reshoots or post-production. "I was like, 'That’s a no, that’s a hard no,'" Snyder said. "And they’re like, 'But why? You can just put up the rough cut.' I go, 'Here’s why. Three reasons: One, you get the internet off your back, which is probably your main reason for wanting to do this. Two, you get to feel vindicated for making things right, I guess, on some level. And then three, you get a shitty version of the movie that you can point at and go, 'See? It’s not that good anyway. So maybe I was right.'
Snyder balked at the idea, preferring to keep the rumored amazing film as a legend rather than put out a half-finished movie. "I was like, No chance. I would rather just have the Snyder cut be a mythical unicorn for all time."
For Snyder, it was more important that he get the film made and do so with complete creative control. So while he was paid for the initial film and his work on it, and the new movie is estimated to have cost an additional $70 million of WB's money, Snyder said he won't be getting a paycheck this time around.
"I’m not getting paid," he said. "I didn’t want to be beholden to anyone, and it allowed me to keep my negotiating powers with these people pretty strong."
In the end, Warner Bros. found a way to make the project work, with an HBO Max release. The move not only appeases the diehard fans, but it provides a unique draw for their new streaming service. "A lot of the people at the company, myself included, always felt badly that Zack didn’t get to finish his vision of this film because of the circumstances," said Toby Emmerich, chairman of Warner Bros. Picture Group. "And so if there was a way to make it logistically and financially possible, which HBO Max did, and Zack had a willingness to do it, it seemed like a win for everybody."
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 arrives on HBO Max March 18.
Source: Vanity Fair