The current fan demand for Warner Bros. to release the Zack Snyder cut of Justice League brings the expression ‘the grass is always greener on the other side’ to mind. Given that what was put into theaters was already pretty bad, surely Snyder’s original vision must have been better, right?
Part of this is wishful thinking, with fans imagining an idealized version of the film that fixes everything wrong with it, but I’ve got to admit that the flurry of details we’ve heard about the original cut screened to WB execs makes it sound at the very least, quite interesting.
The latest word on the Snyder cut comes courtesy of Kevin Smith, who reveals some interesting new intel on what Snyder had planned for the Caped Crusader. Smith, speaking on his own YouTube channel, claims that in the original cut, Ben Affleck’s hero was much more serious and less jokey, even embarking on a “suicide mission” at one point.
Batman was also more remorseful over his darker days and treatment of Superman, behaving in a much less jokey way, even going on a suicide mission at the end, believing he needs to sacrifice himself to atone for becoming a murderer and trying to kill the Man of Steel.
Obviously, it’s clear why this was cut. As we’ve heard numerous times now, after the disappointment that was Batman V Superman, Warner Bros. was looking to lighten the tone and make something more similar to Joss Whedon’s The Avengers, hence why they roped him in to help out and usher the pic over the finish line. Unfortunately, though, that proved to be the wrong move and what we ended up with was a half-baked film with two clashing tones and a flimsy plot/villain. In other words, much like Dawn of Justice, it was a disappointment.
Fast forward to now and fans are petitioning Warner Bros. to release Zack Snyder’s director’s cut of Justice League, which is either locked away in the studio’s vault in an “unfinished, but notable state,” or simply doesn’t exist, depending on who you choose to believe. Frankly, it’s unlikely we’ll ever see it, as even if it is out there, it’d cost far too much to complete.
Still, it’s hard not to wonder about what could have been and information like the stuff Kevin Smith’s been sharing really does make it seem like WB made the wrong decision in cutting so much of Snyder’s vision out of the pic.
