Why DC Didn’t Want To Release Zack Snyder’s Justice League

It's official: the Justice League Snyder Cut is getting released, thanks to HBO Max; however, the movie is certainly not what DC wanted. In the days leading up to the streaming platform's May 27, 2020 release, the WarnerMedia Entertainment has been steadily building buzz for HBO Max. Snyder Cut rumors have increasingly been a key part of this marketing strategy — there was even a Justice League HBO Max billboard put up in Los Angeles, hinting at the possibility of the platform releasing Snyder's long-awaited vision for the property. Snyder himself has confirmed that his vision for the superhero team-up is getting an official release on HBO Max in 2021.

HBO is no stranger to (re)adapting DC comics material; not only is HBO Max home to the upcoming Green Lantern series, which looks to capture the spark the 2011 movie lacked, but the channel also offered a critically-acclaimed limited series adaptation of the beloved graphic novel Watchmen in 2019 — a property that was previously adapted for film by Snyder himself in 2009.

While DC fans are rejoicing at the prospect of a Justice League do-over, DC is certainly not happy with the move. The choice to spend anywhere from $20 to $30 million to complete the Snyder Cut — and air it on a streaming platform — is not only an unprecedented move for the industry, but is also a back-handed message to the DCEU's leadership team that threatens to undermine the entire franchise. The decision may make sense from a marketing perspective, but socially, producing and releasing the Snyder Cut for HBO Max affirms the growing public disapproval of Whedon's involvement in the project, and is therefore an implicit condemnation of the DCEU's direction since Snyder left in 2017.