Zack Snyder Bows Out Of All 'Justice League' Post-Production: It Would Be 'Unfair' To Still Be Involved

Zack Snyder played a major, if controversial, role in laying the foundations for the DC Extended Universe. That came to a tragic end in May this year, with Snyder bowing out of reshoots and post-production work on Justice League after a family tragedy. Now, in his latest comments, Snyder has revealed that he's stepped back from the whole post-production process. It's all in Joss Whedon's hands now.

Here's What Snyder Said

In his latest interview with Wired, Snyder was asked if he's still involved with Justice League at all. Snyder's response is one that will leave his fans heartbroken, as he explained that it would be "unfair in a lot of ways" for him to return to the project after being absent for so many months. There's no trace of bitterness or disappointment in his words, though, as he explained:

"I’m at a place where I feel excited about it and I’m happy for my guys and I love these people that are working on it, and they’re my family and I think they’re doing an amazing job. But I’ve kind of just let them do their thing."

That means post-production work will largely fall to Joss Whedon, whose involvement with Justice League has already increased to the point he's earned a writing credit. Editing, pacing, music, tone — all these things will be driven by Whedon. No wonder Ben Affleck recently described the movie as "an interesting product of two directors."

Why This Is A Good Sign For 'Justice League'

The sad truth is that Snyder's approach makes sense. He handed over management of the project to Joss Whedon, who will already have made his mark on it. Both directors have their own individual styles, and ideally we want the finished film to reflect the best of both. To have two directors managing post-production would risk damaging the movie, reducing it to tonal (and potentially even narrative) incoherence.

That said, it's important not to overstate the significance of Joss Whedon in this project. Fundamentally, this should still be a Zack Snyder film, and we can safely discount ill-informed rumors that his version was "unwatchable." The more informed accounts have suggested that Whedon has focused on lightening up the tone and style of the movie, and on creating "connective tissue" to improve the film's flow. These reports make sense: Whedon is an expert at creative narrative flow, while Snyder's strength is in powerful visuals that sometimes have quite choppy transitions. The finished film will hopefully be a product that both directors can be proud of, reflecting the best of both their skill-sets.

For now, Zack Snyder seems to have stepped back from superhero films altogether. While he told Wired that he was working on two other projects, there was no hint that he'd be returning to the DCEU. Fans will be disappointed at the news, although it is hardly surprising.

(Source: Wired)