Zack Snyder talks Joss Whedon’s Justice League and things "being twisted during production"

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Exclusive: Zack Snyder talks to Total Film about the "pressure" to make Justice League "funnier" and to "lighten" the tone

Zack Snyder Justice League
(Image credit: Warner Bros/DC)

Zack Snyder's Justice League – the director's new cut of the superhero team-up – has almost arrived. The theatrical cut, which was shaped by Joss Whedon, will soon be a distant memory for everyone – well, except for Snyder himself, who has never seen Whedon's version of the movie.

"Because I’ve never seen the theatrical version of Justice League, I don’t know exactly what from my movie is in that movie," Snyder tells Total Film in the latest issue of the magazine. "But I have heard from people who were on my crew and then continued on [with Whedon], there was about an hour of reshoots. So I guess they used about an hour of my footage, and they pretty much touched every shot, whether it was for ADR or whatever. I think my movie is a chance to get into the characters and the story beats a lot more."

Snyder's new version will be a lot longer, clocking in around four hours compared to the theatrical version's two hours. Within the new runtime, fans can expect two brand new scenes, shot last year, and the rest were filmed during initial photography and have new VFX. That first shoot was not easy for Snyder – the filmmaker reveals that the studio put pressure on him to make it funnier.

"[The original plan] was absolutely being twisted during production, but y'know, I was there to fight them," Snyder recalls. "Even though there was pressure on me to make it funnier and lighten it, I would persist as much as I could to keep the tone as much as I could. I added a bunch of things for them, and I was always careful to make sure I covered things both ways, so that it didn’t affect the movie story-wise. It was my hope that, in post-production, I'd be able to force my will upon them."

Whedon's cut did have a few funny lines, yet Snyder's will undoubtedly have a more serious tone. The new cut also features two new scenes, filmed last year, one of which adds Jared Leto's Joker to the movie. Hopefully, the reviews will be kinder to this new version of Justice League.

Zack Snyder's Justice League is scheduled to stream on HBO Max in the US (take a look at our guide to the latest HBO Max prices) and on VOD services in the UK from March 18. For much more on the film – plus exclusive on-set coverage of Godzilla vs. Kong – pick up a copy of the new issue of Total Film magazine when it hits shelves (real and digital) this Friday, March 5. Check out the new covers below:

Total Film's Godzilla vs. Kong covers

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If you're a fan of Total Film, why not subscribe so that you never miss an upcoming issue? Sign up via MagazinesDirect and with the latest offer you'll save 60 per cent – that's better than half price! – on a print and digital bundle. You'll also get exclusive subscriber-only covers like the Godzilla vs. Kong one above.

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Jack Shepherd
Jack Shepherd
Freelance Journalist

Jack Shepherd is the former Senior Entertainment Editor of GamesRadar. Jack used to work at The Independent as a general culture writer before specializing in TV and film for the likes of GR+, Total Film, SFX, and others. You can now find Jack working as a freelance journalist and editor.