As Warner Bros. continues to future-proof its prized DCEU with Joker origin stories and spinoffs featuring Jared Leto’s Clown Prince of Crime and his muse, Harley Quinn, the Justice League are quietly waiting for their time in the limelight.
Truth be told, it’s been a long, meandering journey to release. Back when the crossover project was first conceived, the Powers That Be over at Warner Bros. envisioned Justice League as a two-part epic – not unlike Avengers: Infinity War and its untitled sequel, which is currently shooting scenes in Atlanta – before it was announced that Zack Snyder’s ensemble piece would be consolidated into a single movie.
That was before the director stepped away from the DCEU to tend to a personal tragedy, leaving the door open for two-time Avengers helmer Joss Whedon. It’s a switcheroo that sparked heated debate online, and in news that should come as absolutely no surprise, we’re hearing that Snyder will not be doing any press for the film. The folks at SuperBroMovies have the scoop, confirming that they’ve reached out to the director’s publicist for an interview, only to get this reply:
Zack will not be doing any press for Justice League, but thank you for asking.
Again, this is hardly surprising news, as now that Snyder’s stepped down from the project, it makes sense to keep him off the press tour. Not to mention that he’s probably still grieving and not into the idea of being hounded by the media about how much of his vision is left in the film and what was changed/cut – which is undoubtedly where most of the conversations would lead. Besides, given that this is Joss Whedon’s movie now, it’s best to just have him being the one doing the junkets, rather than confusing things by including both directors.
Justice League swoops into theaters on November 17th, when the blockbuster will become the fifth entry into the DC Extended Universe to date. But can it channel the smashing success of Patty Jenkins’ recent blockbuster? Or will it struggle to overcome the hurdles and production woes that befell Suicide Squad? Only time will tell.
Beyond 2017, 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 is 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.
