#releasethesnydercut, you can rest now.
During his Man of Steel watch party with Henry Cavill, Justice League director Zack Snyder confirmed that his long-rumored cut of the film will be available to stream on HBO Max.
The project will arrive in 2021. There are still ongoing discussion taking place on whether it will be a four-hour director's cut or a six-part TV series. Snyder and his wife and producing partner Deborah Snyder are currently assembling the original postproduction crew to cut the project and finish visual effects. There is also a possibility that some of the original cast members will record new dialogue. The entire process is expected to cost $20-$30 million.Â
“I want to thank HBO Max and Warner Brothers for this brave gesture of supporting artists and allowing their true visions to be realized. Also a special thank you to all of those involved in the SnyderCut movement for making this a reality,†said Snyder.
The news comes just days after it was reported that Snyder met with DC executives for a private screening of his cut of Justice League. Following that revelation, rumors started to spread that the cut would be made available in some form on HBO Max.
The debut of the Snyder Cut ends the two-and-a-half-year movement that has been pushing for its release. It began when the film first premiered in theaters following reports that Snyder's version of the movie had been heavily altered by Warner Bros. and new director Joss Whedon after Snyder had to step down due to a family tragedy. Many blame those two parties for the film's subpar critical reception and argue that Snyder's product is far superior and fits more coherently with his previous two films in the DCEU canon: Man of Steel and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.
Reports regarding the Snyder Cut claim that the film expands the mythology of the DC Extended Universe. Characters like Lex Luthor, Cyborg's father Silas Stone, Mera, Lois Lane and Ares were supposed to have larger roles, while other new characters were supposed to make appearances. Kevin Smith confirmed some of this in an interview just a few weeks ago, saying the movie would have contained Green Lanterns, Martian Manhunter and Darkseid.
Many of the film's cast and crew eventually joined the movement, voicing their support for Snyder in interviews and Twitter posts. This includes Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot, Ray Fisher, Jason Momoa, Darkseid actor Ray Porter and cinematographer Fabian Wagne.
There is a certain level of irony attached to the Snyder Cut's release on HBO Max, as supporters of the film Twitter-bombed the streaming service's announcement event. Fans did it again when the streamer began its marketing campaign.
HBO Max launches May 27.
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, Ciarán Hinds as Steppenwolf, Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor and J.K. Simmons as Commissioner Gordon.
(Via The Hollywood Reporter.)