Zack Snyder just didn’t have the strength to fight the good fight anymore.
This is what the original “Justice League” director said in a new interview, explaining why he did not return to the command of the “Justice League” after walking away during post-production and remaking because of the suicidal death of a of their eight children.
Snyder was fighting with the studio over his “Justice League” vision when the tragedy struck his family, he told Sean O’Connell of Cinemablend, whose book “Release the Snyder Cut” comes out on March 1. The director never completed his version of the film – until now.
“I was just sick of it,” said the director, 54. “I was in this place of [knowing] my family needs me more than that … and I just need to honor them and do the best I can to heal this world. “
Snyder said he “didn’t have the energy” to fight the studio as the film’s release date in November 2017 approached.
“Literally, zero energy for that. I really think it’s the main thing,” he said. “I think there’s a different world where I stayed and I kind of tried. And I’m sure I could … because every movie is a fight, right? I was used to it. But … there was no fight in me. I had being beaten up by what was going on in my life and I just didn’t want to, I didn’t care … it was kind of where I was. “
When Snyder stepped down in March 2017, Joss Whedon took over the “Justice League” and the film came out on time. But some fans who have been obsessed with Snyder’s vision since the director of “Man of Steel” and “Batman v. Superman” were appointed to head “Justice League” years earlier found Whedon’s film disappointing – and thus a social media movement as they relentlessly called for #ReleaseTheSnyderCut.
Gal Gadot (Wonder Woman) and Ben Affleck (Batman) tweeted their support for the effort on the second anniversary of the release of “Justice League”, and WarnerMedia eventually accepted the challenge.
A teaser trailer for Snyder’s version was released in July 2020, with a push from Jason Momoa (Aquaman).
Snyder was also not mad at Whedon’s opinion, saying in a December 2020 question and answer session at Vero, “I just hope I can eliminate this version with what you see in March” on HBO Max.
The Snyder cut is being sold as a four-hour feature on the premium streamer that includes new footage, new visual effects and new music. It is also said to have the kind of violence and profanity that earns it an R rating, unlike Whedon’s PG-13.
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7:17 pm, January 26, 2021: An earlier version of this story said that Zack Snyder’s version of “Justice League” would be a four-part series. It is a four-hour feature film.
This story originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.