After two years of fan campaigns, Zack Snyder’s Justice League will release on HBO Max in 2021. With eight theatrically released films on his belt and over 3 billion dollars in box office revenue, film director Snyder has established himself as one of the more well-known directors in modern Hollywood—particularly for his work with superheroes, which has sparked everything from fanboy fawning to heated critical debate. To peel back the layers of what makes Snyder so successful, yet divisive, a deep-dive in his philosophy on superheroes is apropos. Snyder joined The Farooqi Bros for a brand new interview to discuss his upcoming films and the movement that led to the release of the Snyder Cut.
The comic book and graphic novel medium spoke to Snyder since he was a boy. Adapting the iconic pages of Alan Moore’s Watchmen, or creating a cinematic universe with Superman and Batman, is the stuff of comic fan dreams, but it carries a responsibility, a weight, that few might be willing to carry in practice. But that responsibility is a big part of what drives Snyder, especially when it comes to the most iconic hero of them all, Superman.
“I really felt like my Superman…has to sort of level up and sort of learn something and be something different because in the end, the idea is that, or what I had planned was that, the…final step for Superman is kind of his real return, or his real coming into, what I would consider almost the classic Superman,” Snyder said about his vision for the character.
The director went on to discuss the Black Suit Superman that will appear in his Justice League.
“I really was always a very strong advocate for the black suit,” Snyder said. “I really wanted the black suit and it made sense for me because — it’s exactly as you say — Superman, as a character, notoriously does not grow. He’s like a rock and everything just smashes against him and then we learn, by trying to change a thing that’s unchangeable so that we can learn about ourselves…that’s sort of the old way, the old Superman.
Snyder went on to mention Superman’s time in the Black Suit not only represents his development but it also locks the character’s arc in place in the overall DC timeline.
“We don’t really get it in this movie, the classic Superman. I also feel like the black suit is a great time delineator. If you see a flashback or a flash-forward, him in the black suit lets you know where you are in time because it’s very particular to this certain arc, ”
Superman is not the only hero Snyder has a passion for. The Man of Steel’s counterpart, Batman, is a favorite for the director. Despite some homages to The Dark Knight Returns in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Snyder still has hopes of doing a direct adaptation one day.
“I was really trying to preserve that comic book as its own thing so that I could still one day maybe make that into a movie,” Snyder said.” “I tried to homage it [TDKR] rather than steal from it, in a sense, I just wanted to show the influence on me… I wanted to take what I consider iconic moments and place them in the movie,” said Snyder.
Zack Snyder’s Justice League was the most tweeted about movie of all time for Warner Bros., an impressive feat for a film that had not been released. The #ReleaseTheSnyderCut movement made noise with multiple years of campaigning and charity events, culminating in an HBO Max release. Snyder assured fans and audiences that the film releasing this year will be virtually brand new.
“First of all, let’s just clarify, there’s like two bits that I added,” Snyder said. “One bit that I had really sort of hoped to shoot in post but never got the chance to and then one, that scene, with Jared. This whole little piece with Jared. The truth is, the rest of the four hours of the movie are really just what I shot. The truth is I was in a struggle with the studio, you know and famously we had a lot of stuff we had to do, and make it funny, and all that stuff. I just kind of, in a slightly subversive way, just kept also doing my thing at the same time so I would have, what I believed would be closer to what I wanted to do without any influence. I always try to shoot that way anyway. I always try to shoot what I think is right. Putting the movie back together was like an archaeologisit, pulling all the pieces, what I had, what I had shot, and what would never have seen the light of day even thought I had shot it.”
Snyder explained that around 80% of the film has never been seen by anyone, only counting the scenes that had visual effects done at the time of his departure, not including the scenes audiences have never seen that didn’t have them. He went on to call Justice League a “giant-scale adventure.”
Snyder was candid about how it felt for his family that their vision was being restored. During the interview, Snyder commented on the potential of continuing the journey, especially after fans trended a new hashtag, #RestoreTheSnyderVerse.
“Look, I never thought I’d be here doing this. I didn’t think I’d be finishing Justice League,” he says. “The truth is, and it’s been widely reported, and I have no issue, this is an old movie. This is a years-old movie I’m working on. The DC universe has gone and branched off and done its own thing and that’s fine. As far as what I did and as far as what my vision for what I wanted to do with these characters and the journey I wanted them to go on, it’s well known that I planned on more movies, five movies or something, but I’m busy. I’ve got a lot going on. Is it cool that the fans have so much faith in the trajectory? Yes, it’s amazing, and I couldn’t be happier and I’m excited for them to see Justice League so they can really drink the entire elixir of Justice League. But, would I continue? I have no plan to. But like I said, I didn’t think I’d be here, so who knows?”
The director also discussed the recent news of an IMAX remaster of 2016’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.
“BvS happened because we had noticed that there was a color mistake in one of the releases of Batman v Superman. We just looked into it and I was like, ‘Hey, what happened?’ I guess it’s a technical snafu but I was like, ‘This is a great opportunity for us to go back and fix it and do the IMAX release and let everybody see every bit of it, see the whole movie.”
When asked a followup if 2013’s Man of Steel would be next, Snyder kept the door open.
“I think it’s worth a look, it probably does need a remaster. It’s been a while since we’ve taken a look at it.”
A hidden Easter egg for the interview included a placeholder photo of Diana’s original backstory from Batman v Superman framed behind the director. Snyder later shared a full-resolution shot on his Twitter page.
“Wonder Woman 1854 – This amazing image shot by Stephen Berkman of an else-world, war weary Diana, who had chased Aries across the battlefields of the world and had yet to meet Steve, who would help her restore her faith in mankind and love itself,” Snyder explained on Twitter.
The interview lasted for 40 mins, with many topics discussed between the director and the four brother quartet. Outside of discussing Justice League, the director was asked about an array of questions on Star Wars, Marvel, and even the NBA. To the question on which Marvel character he would like to adapt for the big screen, Snyder took a look on his bookshelf, and decided.
“I would choose Elektra Lives Again. Do you know that Frank Miller comic book? It’s a graphic novel about Elektra. Daredevil is having these dreams about Elektra coming back to life, and it’s really cool and weird…It’s just cool, and beautiful. That’s what I would do. No one cares, but that’s what I would do.”
The director went on to discuss his thoughts on the importance of the theatrical model, the future of streaming, and more. Snyder also discussed the impact the Snyder Cut movement has had with AFSP, and the $500,000 milestone they reached just last month. The link to donate to Autumn Snyder’s Tribute Fund can be found HERE.
Note: This interview in full was conducted by The Farooqi Brothers. The entire 40 minute interview can be found on YouTube, iTunes, and Spotify for your listening or watching pleasure. We appreciate your support.
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