Despite a four hour running time and what appears to be a blank check from HBO Max, Zack Snyder said there will only be about four or five minutes of newly shot footage for his long-fought for “Snyder Cut” of Justice League.
He made the confession in a 30 minute video interview on Friday with YouTuber Grace Randolph. “In the end it’s gonna probably be about four minutes, five minutes of additional photography,” he said while chuckling. “In the four hours that is Justice League, maybe four minutes.”
He went on to imply that this number was low because he could get all he needed simply from “extracting” what was already in the can, and that other films with reshoots have much more because of meddling from focus groups.
HBO Max has committed an estimated $70 million for this new version of the film. Jared Leto will make an appearance as (his version) of the Joker. Leto famously went deep into the character on set of Suicide Squad, which included sending his co-star Margot Robbie a dead rat. Joaquin Phoenix later won an Academy Award for playing a different iteration of the character.
Snyder says that Leto’s Joker will have a new look, as that he is “road weary” by the time we meet him. Fans had earlier spotted the appearance of Kiersey Clemons as Iris West in the new trailer that debuted with DC’s Fandome pep rally in August. (The character was cut from the theatrical version.) This is the same trailer that, surprisingly, included “Hallelujah” by Leonard Cohen.
In the new interview, Snyder also shared how he was able to grab a shot of Ezra Miller as The Flash, even though the actor was in London shooting the next Fantastic Beasts film. With coronavirus travel restrictions in place, Snyder was able to get the other crew to set up some cameras for a pick-up. (This is the good fortune of both productions being in the Warner Bros. family.) The punchline is that everyone was able to communicate with … what’s that app? Zoom! (This is funny because one of The Flash’s top enemies is called Professor Zoom. Comics!)
As it happens, Ray Fisher, whose character Cyborg will likely have more screen time in Snyder’s Justice League shared a new still of he and Miller in character Friday night.
In early September Warner Bros. denied Ray Fisher’s allegations of abuse when the production switched directors from Snyder to Joss Whedon.
The new version of Justice League will debut as a miniseries on HBO Max in September 2021.
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