Some rumours just won’t go away and when it comes to Warner Bros’ Justice League movie, fans are tenacious in searching for the slightest signs of evidence that a Zach Snyder cut exists. In fact, many believe they have the right to demand it. Ever since Snyder was replaced by Joss Whedon as director – who drastically altered, reshot and cut down Snyder’s grandiose vision for two back to back Justice League movies into one disappointing film – fans have been clamouring for a release of what they believe is the superior version of the movie.
However, as much as fans keep demanding this Snyder Cut, the truth is that one likely doesn’t exist. Although every so often some person gets quoted at claiming one is out there, the chances are that whatever version of the movie (or movies) may be there was never close to production. While principal photography for the move was complete when Snyder pulled out of postproduction for the film, there was still a lot of work left in regards to visual effects and editing that was never done. Joss Whedon reshot several scenes to make it fit into a shorter narrative and then the effort was spent on touching up only that version (cheaply too, considering that infamous Superman moustache).
So even if the studio was to try and repackage Snyder’s initial versions of the film, it would still take significant effort to complete. Just how much? Well according to a new report in The Telegraph that cites a VFX expert, they reckon the studio would need to spend at least another $30-$40 million to put the finishing touches on all that content:
The movie was still months away from delivery when Joss came on board. It seems very unlikely to me that there was anything close to a releasable cut of the film. Put it another way: if there was a near finished movie that everyone was happy with, then WB would have got the editor to complete it rather than drop another $30-40 million into it.
That is a lot of money to add to a movie that released several years ago and was already a box office bomb back then. The fact that Warner Bros was willing to throw that kind of money into the reshoots in the first place is a big indication of how far away the Snyder cut was from release.
This is all useless conjecture though and in truth, the Snyder cut as fans would like is just not there and likely to never be released. And if some fans are sitting around with that amount of money to see the film get made, then they better show themselves because so far all effort to raise money for a Snyder cut of the film have only amounted to $100 000. An amount which was wisely donated to the Association for Suicide Prevention, a far worthier cause than getting this movie completed
Now I understand that fans like to dream, but can we all just admit that this Snyder Cut is never happening and move on to better things?
Last Updated: August 7, 2019
LegionZA
August 7, 2019 at 11:33
Like Simply Red, those fans will keep holding on…
Original Heretic
August 7, 2019 at 11:53
Snyder himself has confirmed that it exists, saw that in a vid when he was talking to someone who had just asked him.
But, the only form it is in is sans any VFX.
So, basically, a bunch of green screen shots.
Kervyn Cloete
August 7, 2019 at 12:15
It won’t even be green screen shots. A lot of it was still in the rough placeholder animatic and storyboard phase. That’s what Snyder has been sharing this entire time. It’s not a cut of a movie so much as it is an idea of one. Yes, there are aspects of his idea that exists, but nowhere close to a release-ready movie.
Original Heretic
August 7, 2019 at 12:15
But the footage was shot.
That’s what’s got all these people frothing.
It’s never gonna happen. Releasing it would be tantamount to WB admitting they screwed up.
Kervyn Cloete
August 7, 2019 at 12:16
We’ve heard so many conflicting reports about what was shot and what wasn’t. Remember Whedon had already been brought on to change things up long before Snyder had to drop out due to his daughter’s suicide. And that was way before principal photography wrapped completely. Exactly when that handover actually happened we don’t know because nobody involved is talking. What we have seen though are small snippets of storyboards and nothing else.
Original Heretic
August 7, 2019 at 13:43
What’s the best, somewhere in “Trumpistan”, a WB exec is watching the cut, wondering “why do all these people want THIS shit?”
Gr8_Balls_o_Fire
August 7, 2019 at 12:04
They’ll easily make more than $40m in sales of the Snyder cut. I say do it
Kervyn Cloete
August 7, 2019 at 12:16
You need to remember that the $40 million estimate mentioned above would be raw VFX costs. Then you still need to spend a crap load editing it all together and also marketing and paying distribution costs. It will cost WB a hell of a lot to get this movie into a workable state – coz right now it’s really just scraps of ideas – and with all the money it’s already lost them, there’s no way it’s happening.
Personally, I think the only way Snyder’s version of this film ever sees the light of day is as a comic book adaptation or animated movie.
Gr8_Balls_o_Fire
August 7, 2019 at 15:12
Aww dammit. Thanks for bursting my bubble of dreams.
Gr8_Balls_o_Fire
August 7, 2019 at 15:12
Also did they really lose money on that movie?
Raptor Rants
August 7, 2019 at 12:25
https://giphy.com/gifs/4oCamgsWAFIU8
Raptor Rants
August 7, 2019 at 12:25
*just pretend he is saying Whedon instead*