The only DC story that might be more tragic than Bruce Wayne’s origin is the ordeal director Zack Snyder endured during the production of “Justice League.” The fiasco may have ended happily with the birth of Snyder’s superior director’s cut, but it came at the cost of fan trust — which Warner Brothers likely doesn’t want to lose as it starts rebuilding its superhero banner.
In an effort to create a more Marvel-esque adventure with 2017’s “Justice League,” Warner Brothers put pressure on Snyder by having production heads closely supervise him on set, mandating a two-hour runtime, and having “The Avengers” director Joss Whedon perform rewrites and eventually take on directorial duties. These headaches, combined with the anguish Snyder was going through following the death of his daughter Autumn, resulted in him exiting the film.
Many loyal fans were disheartened with the way that Warner Brothers treated Snyder. That led to the high-profile campaign that resulted in Warner Brothers granting Snyder the ability to rework the film into his intended four-hour vision with “Zack Snyder’s Justice League,” which received far warmer critical and fan reactions across the board.
Snyder’s story should serve as a dark reminder to Warner Brothers and Max of how corporate intent can negatively affect both filmmakers and a fan base. With James Gunn involved as both a director and CEO at DC, here’s hoping he won’t be subject to the same kind of meddling as Snyder — whether it’s from Max or execs even higher up the studio ladder.
