Joss Whedon Changing The Ending Of Justice League

The Justice League reshoots continue to be a huge talking point on the web, as reports are surfacing at an alarming rate, pointing to what exactly the studio’s been changing. Initially, we heard that Warner Bros. had some issues with the tone, in addition to the portrayal of Cyborg. Then, a follow-up story claimed that early cuts of the film were actually “unwatchable,” with the reshoots being substantial and not at all like what you’d usually see with a big blockbuster.

Now, /Film has the latest scoop, giving us even more details on what Warner Bros. is doing to their upcoming tentpole. According to the outlet, Joss Whedon, who’s taken over for Zack Snyder, is making significant changes to the story and in particular, the ending. Originally, Justice League was going to conclude with a cliffhanger, which is now gone. As are the “elements of the story that suggest Darkseid’s arrival on Earth is imminent.”

From what we understand, the film was set to be more of an opening act for the aforementioned villain, but now, Steppenwolf’s “credibility as the movie’s big bad,” has been strengthened. That would make sense, too, as there’d be no point in introducing him only to have the character be a flimsy and unthreatening villain. Then again, we all know that Darkseid is eventually coming, so it may be tough to really sell Steppenwolf as a formidable opponent for the titular team when audiences are aware that he’s just the appetizer, so to speak.

This also calls into question just how much of Snyder’s original vision is really left in Justice League. After all, we’ve been hearing about so many changes being made that one has to wonder if the movie’s going to be more of a Joss Whedon production in the end instead of something we’d expect to see from Zack. Hopefully, the influence of both directors will be felt throughout, but something tells us that a good chunk of what Snyder originally shot may not make it into the final cut.

One way or another, we’ll find out soon enough, as Justice League swoops into theaters on November 17th. We wouldn’t start worrying just yet, either, as reshoots aren’t always a bad sign and many blockbusters have gone through significant ones and emerged as fantastic finished products (see: Rogue One). At this point, however, only time will tell.

Beyond 2017 though, and aside from locking down a late 2019 release date for Wonder Woman 2, Warner Bros. has been coy about its future plans for the DCEU, but there have been rumblings that David Sandberg’s Shazam movie – a film that’s seemingly much more light-heartened when compared to the rest of WB’s superhero output – is next in line to enter production ahead of its debut in the early stages of 2019.