During production on the DC Extended Universe's Justice League, original director Zack Snyder departed the project following a family tragedy. Avengers director Joss Whedon stepped in to replace Snyder and reportedly began extensive reshoots that significantly changed the movie, lightening the tone and changing key plotlines, among other things. When Justice League released theatrically, the costly movie did not succeed with critics or at the box office, potentially losing Warner Bros. money in the process.
Some then began calling for the release of Snyder's original vision for Justice League with a variety of high-profile campaigns. During a Man of Steel watch party earlier this year, Snyder confirmed that his version of Justice League, titled Zack Snyder's Justice League, would release on HBO Max.
Here's what we know about the plot, release date and trailer of Zack Snyder's Justice League.
The Plot of Zack Snyder's Justice League
Justice League takes place after the events of Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, in which Lex Luthor manipulated the two titular heroes into fighting one another. However, before the end of that film, Batman and Superman teamed up with Wonder Woman to fight against Doomsday. During their battle, Superman used a kryptonite-tipped spear to kill Doomsday, though he himself died in the process. As the follow-up to Batman v. Superman, Justice League unites the titular team together and brings back Superman so as to take on Steppenwolf, who leads an army of powerful Parademons. His goal is to remake Earth in the image of his homeworld, Apokolips.
Snyder's version of Justice League is said to be similar to the director's original vision for the film prior to Whedon boarding the project. While the full extent of just what was cut is unclear, Snyder and various cast members have detailed just what was cut for the film. Among those things cut were an increased focus on Vic Stone/Cyborg -- whose father, Silas Stone, died in Snyder's version of the film despite surviving in the theatrical cut; scenes including Kiersey Clemons, who played Barry Allen/The Flash's paramour Iris West; and the increased presence of Darkseid, the villainous leader of Apokolips.
While many of these plot elements will remain the same, there's some question as to just how much Zack Snyder's Justice League will add that might not have been intended for the original film. For example, Jared Leto is set to reprise his role as Joker, though there's no indication there were plans to have him in the original film. Additional photography for the film involves much of the core cast as well as various secondary characters, potentially including Slade Wilson/Deathstroke (Joe Manganiello). At this time, it's unclear how the film will set up or explore Snyder's plans for a Justice League trilogy.
You can read the official synopsis for the film below:
In 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.
The Trailer for Zack Snyder's Justice League
During Justice Con in July, Snyder released a clip from Justice League featuring Superman wearing his black suit following his resurrection. Later, at DC FanDome in August, Snyder released the first official teaser for his cut of Justice League, which showcased some of the previously cut content that would appear in the film. That official teaser was later pulled due to copyright issues before a black-and-white version made its way back online. More recently, a full trailer for Justice League was released.
The Release Date of Zack Snyder's Justice League on HBO Max
Zack Snyder's Justice League will arrive on HBO Max on March 18.
This article will be updated as more information becomes available.
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.