‘Justice League’: Joss Whedon Says Studio Wanted Him to ‘Fix’ Snyder’s Movie
Some DC fans have criticized Joss Whedon for scrapping Zack Snyder’s vision for Justice League with his 2017 release. But Whedon reveals that the rework wasn’t his idea. The director says Warner Bros. wasn’t happy with Snyder’s original version, so they asked him to come in and fix it.
Zack Snyder and Joss Whedon directed ‘Justice League’
After helming Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, Snyder wrote and directed Justice League. But in May 2017, while Snyder was working on post-production, he was hit by a family tragedy.
Warner Bros. brought Whedon — who previously directed Marvel’s Avengers movie — on to finish the film. He reworked the project with different story arcs and new reshoots. But when his Justice League premiered in Nov. 2017, some fans found the CGI to be sub-par and felt the story was disconnected.
Many demanded Snyder release his version of the film. So in early 2021, after Warner Bros. invested $20 million into his project, the director put out the Snyder cut, titled Zack Snyder’s Justice League.
Joss Whedon says he was asked to fix Snyder’s original vision of ‘Justice League’
Whedon recently opened up about the controversy surrounding Justice League, including the claims of misconduct from stars like Ray Fisher and Gal Gadot. He dismissed the allegations.
And when discussing the criticisms of his version of the film, Whedon suggested the studio saw an early screening of Snyder’s original vision and asked him to change it.
“They asked me to fix it,” he told Vulture. “And I thought I could help.”
The director admitted taking on the film is one of his biggest regrets. And acknowledging how much hate he’s gotten from some fans, and how his career has taken a turn post-misconduct accusations, Whedon cited the power of the internet.
“The beginning of the internet raised me up, and the modern internet pulled me down,” he said. “The perfect symmetry is not lost on me.”
Joss Whedon isn’t sure if could have been nicer
In his chat with Vulture, Whedon reflected on his successes and failures. He suggested he became a target after his ex-wife revealed details of their marriage. “She put out a letter saying some bad things I’d done and saying some untrue things about me,” he said. “But I had done the bad things and so people knew I was gettable.”
Whedon also questioned whether or not he could have done things differently in his marriage and career. “Could I have done marriage better?” he pondered. “Don’t get me started. Could I have been a better showrunner? Absolutely. Should I have been nicer?”
On that last question, Whedon said he might have been too nice, suggesting his harsh and direct demeanor was his way of getting people to love him. The director felt people are using “every weaponizable word of the modern era” to make him seem like an “abusive monster,” adding, “I think I’m one of the nicer showrunners that’s ever been.”
