Zack Snyder’s version of Justice League is one of 2021’s most anticipated new films. While not ‘new’ in the traditional sense, the expanded runtime and additional reshoots for the film suggests it’ll be completely different (and potentially more coherent) than the theatrical version of the film.
We already know a lot about what’s going on with the new cut, and now Zack Snyder has opened the lid even more. During IGN Fan Fest 2021, Snyder went in depth about the film’s creation process, what to expect from the updated version and exactly how long it’ll be.
Here’s everything new we’ve learned about Zack Snyder’s Justice League.
The runtime is 4 hours and 2 minutes
Right. Let’s get this whopper fact out of the way first. The original runtime for Justice League is exactly two hours.
Zack Snyder’s Justice League is four hours and two minutes. That’s a whole lot of extra footage.
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If you’re settling in for a viewing, make sure you’ve got plenty of snacks on-hand.
It fills in ‘impossible’ Justice League gaps
According to Zack Snyder, his cut of Justice League will fill in “a couple of impossible gaps that [he] thought were never going to see the light of day.”
While we don’t know exactly what these changes will entail, various hints from Snyder seem to indicate the inclusion of characters like Darkseid and Granny Goodness in the new cut will help the story feel more cohesive and comprehensible.
Cyborg’s backstory is an important part of the film
In a response to a fan on Twitter, Zack Snyder stated it was Cyborg’s backstory that was the most important part of the film. The original version of the film allegedly only contained one Cyborg scene directed by Zack Snyder, with most of Ray Fisher’s performance being cut together by Joss Whedon.
Cyborg didn’t have a major part to play in Justice League, but that’s set to change with the Snyder cut.
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“His whole arc and journey is so important,” Zack Snyder said at IGN Fan Fest. “There was just really cool stuff that we shot and that we created that I was really excited for fans to see.”
The ‘Snyderverse’ is its own world
Zack Snyder considers his version of Justice League as living in its own movie universe, despite the existence of the other films in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU).
“I think you can view my Snyderverse version of the DC superhero canon as its own thing,” he told IGN. “I love Patty and James and what they’ve done with their movies and are amazing, but at this point I was just like, this is its own thing.”
He went on to say newer films in the DCEU like Wonder Woman and Shazam! hadn’t impacted his creative decisions when remaking the film.
Snyder always wanted the Joker to appear in Justice League
At IGN Fan Fest, Snyder also confirmed that while Jared Leto’s Joker wasn’t in the original script, he’d always intended for the character to join Ben Affleck’s Batman in the DCEU.
He described the decision to include Leto as essential for fans.
“[The scene] really defines, in my mind, the mythological heart of the conflict that both of them share is their relationship,” Snyder said. “I think without a scene where they get to air their dirty laundry about each other, I felt like we were getting shortchanged as fans of the DC Universe.”
The new design for the Joker was based on Snyder’s own drawings and notes from Leto. Suicide Squad‘s David Ayer was reportedly not consulted about the changes.
Zack Snyder’s Justice League ends on a cliffhanger
The nature of superhero movies means there’s always some new threat over the horizon.
While the original cut of Justice League had a fairly definitive ending, the Snyder Cut will reportedly end on a major cliffhanger that could lead into future Justice League movies (or could have, if the DCEU had experienced more widespread success).
The nature of the cliffhanger is unknown, but speculation is that it sets up Martian Manhunter or Green Lantern as important characters in the DCEU.
Zack Snyder’s Justice League will launch on March 18 on Binge in Australia.