‘Zack Snyder’s Justice League’: Why is Warner Bros. “aggressively anti-Snyder”?

We are only a couple of months removed from HBO Max’s release of Zack Snyder’s Justice League, a four-hour cut of the original 2017 film which tragically saw director Zack Snyder depart from the project due to the passing of his daughter. The 2017 Justice League, which was helmed by Avengers director Joss Whedon received much criticism during its initial release, leaving WB to see what OG director Snyder had in mind. 

Now, having had a couple of months to reflect on Zack Snyder’s Justice League, we can honestly say that the film, while not exactly a triumph, did in fact restore our faith in the #Snyderverse, setting up a surprisingly exciting world within the DC realm of characters that Zack Snyder had kicked off with 2013’s Man of Steel. So, after the excitement from fans, why did Warner Bros. ultimately decide to go in a new direction?

While there was certainly a lot of praise for Zack Snyder’s four-hour Justice League cut, the fact of the matter is Zack Snyder’s original DC films, Man of Steel and Batman v. Superman, were simply too mixed to form any kind of consistency within the DCEU, understandably forcing Warner Bros. to go in a completely new direction as it pertains to their characters and overarching story amidst their films. Let’s delve in. 

Snyder speaks up

First off, let us comment on why the #restorethesnyderverse is trending so much lately. While it’s easy to point the finger at the release of HBO Max’s Zack Snyder’s Justice League and its well-received reactions by fans, many people are behind this overwhelming hashtag primarily due to the support of director Zack Snyder as well as their disdain for original Justice League director Joss Whedon that’s another story.

While Zack Snyder’s original DC films weren’t the best received, people were excited, given the tragic circumstances, to see Zack Snyder fulfill his vision and complete, at least to some extent, his story involving the DC characters, specifically Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman, and while you would expect Zack Snyder to be grateful for this experience, which seemingly he is, there seems to still be a bad taste in his mouth. 

Recently, on an interview with Jake’s Takes on YouTube, Zack Snyder spoke out on the #restorthesnyderverse movement, stating how “Warner Bros. has been aggressively anti-Snyder . . . Clearly they’re not interested in my take.” Clearly Zack Snyder, who was promoting his upcoming Army of the Dead film, still has thoughts regarding his blueprint for the DCEU, and Warner Bros. decision to completely scrap it. 

Fair move by WB? 

Playing devil’s advocate here, even as fans of Zack Snyder’s Justice League, we have to admit that Warner Bros. did ultimately make the right call in going in a new direction. It is admirable that they gave the director a second stab at his original Justice League vision, the apex of everything he had been working up to for years. However, critical & audience responses suggested that audiences didn’t want any more Snyder films. 

For example, 2016’s Batman v. Superman, just with the title alone should’ve warranted a one-billion dollar worldwide gross in its sleep; it even could have contended for a two-billion dollar worldwide box office gross opening had the film been well-received. Unfortunately for Zack Snyder, weak word of mouth resulted in fans opting not to enjoy repeat viewings of the movie, as well as encouraging others to go see it. 

While not confirmed, it is highly speculated that the upcoming Flash film will reset all the work once established by Zack Snyder, setting a new tone as well as a blueprint for the DCEU that will dictate how the universe shapes out in the years to come. 

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What do you make of Zack Snyder’s comment regarding Warner Bros.? Did you get a chance to check out Zack Snyder’s Justice League on HBO max? If so, what did you think of the film? Comment below and let us know your thoughts.