Advocates for the ‘Snyder cut’ believe original director Zack Snyder’s vision for the movie remains unrealized

Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot and director Zack Snyder on the set of ‘Justice League.’ WARNER BROS. PICTURES

By Ben Fritz

July 19, 2018 10:42 a.m. ET

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In the annals of director’s cuts that restored a movie to its creator’s original vision stand such greats as Ridley Scott’s “Blade Runner” and Sergio Leone’s “Once Upon a Time in America.”

No justice?

No justice?

Now some fans are pushing for Zack Snyder’s “Justice League” to join those ranks, even though no such version may exist yet.

Devotees have grown especially hopeful about the prospect of “Snyder cut” news with Thursday’s start of Comic-Con in San Diego, where studios frequently make big announcements to gathered pop-culture fanatics.

Never mind that “Justice League” fizzled at the box office last November and helped drive Time Warner Inc.’s Warner Bros. to replace the executive team that oversees its DC Comics superheroes on the big screen. Or that Zack Snyder’s prior superhero opus, “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,” scored a 27% on Rotten Tomatoes. It was called “godawful” by New York magazine and “one of the most assaultive movies ever made” by The Wall Street Journal.

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An ardent group of fans believe “Batman v Superman” was “powerful, relatable, visually stunning, smart, witty and fun,” as one wrote, and demonstrated a level of care “unparalleled” in modern cinema, as another said in an online video. They see it as a worthy successor to Mr. Snyder’s 2013 Superman film “Man of Steel,” another violent superhero movie that polarized fans and critics. They believed “Justice League,” in which Batman and Wonder Woman assemble a team of superheroes, would complete his visionary trilogy.

Instead, these believers in truth, justice and the Snyder way got what they derisively refer to as “Josstice League.”

Fans of Zack Snyder had hoped 'Justice League' would complete a trilogy for the director that started with 'Man of Steel' followed by 'Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice.' PHOTOS: WARNER BROS.(2); WARNER BROS./EVERETT COLLECTION

After Mr. Snyder stepped aside in early 2017 following a family tragedy, Joss Whedon, the director of Marvel’s “Avengers,” took over. Mr. Whedon had already been brought on to rewrite parts of the movie, and oversaw several weeks of reshoots and a new edit the studio had requested. The final film was notably shorter and less violent than Mr. Snyder’s previous solo work and featured snappy dialogue familiar to fans of the “Buffy, the Vampire Slayer” TV series, which Mr. Whedon created.

“Justice League,” with a Rotten Tomatoes score of 40%, grossed $658 million world-wide, a weak total for a movie that cost about $300 million to make. It’s also less than the grosses for “Batman v Superman” ($874 million), “Man of Steel” ($668 million) and last year’s widely lauded Warner/DC hit “Wonder Woman,” directed by Patty Jenkins ($822 million).

Mr. Whedon declined to comment through a spokesman.

One Snyder disciple recently tweeted an altered version of a painting of Jesus giving his Sermon on the Mount, replacing the son of God with the director holding a “Justice League” Snyder cut DVD.

Mr. Snyder himself has teased fans in recent months by posting behind-the-scenes photos from “Justice League” online, driving feverish attempts to interpret what signal he might be sending.

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A spokeswoman said Mr. Snyder wouldn’t discuss a director’s cut. Mr. Snyder never watched the version of “Justice League” released in theaters, she said.

Diogo Mourão, a retail sales worker in Rio de Janeiro, is one of the fans who have rallied behind the motto “Release the Snyder Cut.” Since late last year, they have organized campaigns on social media, produced online videos and bombarded Warner Bros. executives with emails asking the studio to complete and distribute on Blu-ray a version of “Justice League” that matches Mr. Snyder’s vision, before Mr. Whedon got involved.

Mr. Mourão, who bought tickets for five different “Justice League” theater screenings before the film was even released, described watching them as “the five stages of grief.”

After AT&T Inc. completed its purchase of Time Warner last month, one fan messaged “#ReleaseTheSnyderCut”​to the telecom’s customer-service account​on Twitter. He then posted a screenshot of the response from @ATTCares: “We’re constantly improving our services. Please keep checking back for an update on the release of The Snyder Cut.”​An AT&T spokesman declined to comment.

A petition on change.org calling on the studio to make or complete a Snyder cut has more than 178,000 signatures.

“We want future films of the franchise to keep the same artistic integrity of previous works,” said Fiona Zheng, a medical clinic manager in Harbin, China, who runs the website ForSnyderCut.com, in an email. “Not like the theatrical ‘Justice League,’ which was downgraded to a mediocre action comedy representing the antithesis of everything we cherished.”

Typically, director’s cuts come when a filmmaker’s original intention was distorted by studio interference. In his reworked version of “Blade Runner,” Mr. Scott eliminated a voice-over imposed by producers for the 1982 theatrical release.

Joss Whedon, pictured in April 2015, took over ‘Justice League’ after Mr. Snyder left.

Joss Whedon, pictured in April 2015, took over ‘Justice League’ after Mr. Snyder left. PHOTO: AHN YOUNG-JOON/ASSOCIATED PRESS

Devotees have pored over every bit of information released about “Justice League” to find hints of the movie Mr. Snyder envisioned before the reshoots. Using early trailers, photos from production and unused visual-effects shots leaked online, they have picked out changes including a discarded origin for the character Cyborg and a scene in which Mr. Whedon apparently cut Gotham City Police Commissioner Gordon saying “again” at the end of one line.

Some fans believe a Snyder cut exists somewhere in the Warner Bros. vaults. That includes Chris Wong-Swenson of Honolulu, who has produced dozens of videos on the topic for his YouTube channel with titles like “Silence and Disinformation—Justice League Snyder Cut.” In some, he self-mockingly wears a tinfoil hat.

“I know it’s not totally done, but I believe 100% there is a [Snyder] cut of the film,” Mr. Wong-Swenson said in an interview.

People who worked on “Justice League” say that while Mr. Snyder did assemble a rough cut after he finished principal photography in late 2016, the director never said he intended it to be released. They add that Mr. Snyder oversaw the new scenes Mr. Whedon wrote the following winter and had planned to shoot them himself before the death of his daughter prompted him to leave.

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“Who are these people who won’t stop talking about the magical Snyder cut that doesn’t exist?” lamented one person close to the film.

As Comic-Con approaches, some Snyder cut supporters say they are more energized than ever. “We are personally prepared for a long, drawn-out campaign,” said Ms. Zheng.

Mr. Wong-Swenson’s enthusiasm is beginning to flag, however. “I think people will start losing hope if nothing is said by Comic-Con,” he said.

He may end up with grim news for his YouTube subscribers. Warner Bros. has a huge presentation planned for Comic-Con Saturday to promote upcoming superhero movies including “Aquaman” and “Shazam!” The studio isn’t planning to mention a Snyder cut or to release any alternate versions of “Justice League,” a senior executive confirmed.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4030709&forum_id=2#36463242)