It’s been a year since Zack Snyder’s Justice League was released on HBO Max, and the director has shown appreciation to the fans that made it happen.
Snyder posted a black and white image on Twitter with the date of the 2017 theatrical release, Nov. 17, and the date of his 2021 cut when it was released on HBO Max, March 18. Circled around the image are the words, “The entire world became a Justice League,” and Snyder wrote, “This means something.” Following his sentiment were the hashtags, #ReleaseTheSnyderCut and #AFSP (American Foundation for Suicide Prevention), in honor of his daughter Autumn who died by suicide in 2017.
Snyder stepped down from working on the movie after the death of his daughter, and Joss Whedon was brought in to finish the job. A large portion of the movie was rewritten by the Buffy creator, but his version of the film wasn’t well-received.
Many had issues with the SFX (like Henry Cavill’s CGI mustache removal), the limited role of Cyborg (Ray Fisher) limited role, and other characters like Darkseid, Ryan Choi (The Atom), and Iris West being cut out of the film. People also noticed the brightened colour-grading and the Marvel-like jokes meant to give it a more lighthearted feel.
The theatrical cut wasn’t Snyder’s version and fans rallied behind the hashtag #ReleaseTheSnydercut in hopes of restoring the director’s vision. The campaign took years, but prior to HBO Max’s official launch, it was announced that a four-hour version of his movie would be released on the streaming platform and the fanbase celebrated the victory. The HBO Max release was generally better received than the theatrical cut, it dominated the Blu Ray sales charts, and it was the most-Tweeted movie of 2021.
There’s been speculation that DC’s multiverse movie Flashpoint will move on from the Snyderverse and new heroes will take the mantles, but fans haven’t given up hope on seeing a continuation of Snyder’s story.
Zack Snyder’s Justice League is available to stream on HBO Max.