Click on image to see it full-size – source is Screenrant.com
The story of the 2017 JUSTICE LEAGUE movie is kind of crazy, as the film was originally helmed by Zack Snyder, but due to a family tragedy he walked away before it was finished, and Joss Whedon stepped in to finish it. But instead of just finishing it, Whedon decided to re-write and reshoot most of the film, meaning what was shown in theaters really wasn’t Snyder’s vision – rumors at the time said things like Snyder’s rough cut was deemed “unwatchable” by WB executives. As for Whedon’s version, it wasn’t received terribly well, especially by fans, leading to a fan petition demanding Warner Bros. “release the Snyder Cut”, meaning they wanted to see Snyder’s version of the film before it was re-shot. And that fan campaign was very persistent, dominating social media and refusing to let up. Many folks, myself included, thought it got pretty silly at times, as the idea of WB spending money on a film that actually lost money in theaters, just so fans could see a different version of it… well, it just seemed very unrealistic. But somehow, some way, it’s happening, and DC/WB is releasing it exclusively on HBOmax next month.
I’m still not sure how this is being pulled off, as I imagine it has to be costing several million dollars to make this happen, including re-negotiated contracts with all the main actors, new costs to finish extensive special effects, and major video and sound editing… but Zack Snyder has money, and connections, so it’s possible he’s getting a lot of that done on the cheap… somehow. The original movie featured “Steppenwolf” as the villain, voiced by Ciarán Hinds, who was sent to do battle by Darkseid (if you read the comics, you know who that is). This version puts Darkseid more front and center as the bad guy. The superhero team brought together to fight this threat includes Batman (Ben Affleck), Aquaman (Jason Momoa), Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot), Cyborg (Ray Fisher) and the Flash (Ezra Miller). The film also deals with the return of Superman (Henry Cavill), who reunites with Lois Lane (Amy Adams) and Martha Kent (Diane Lane), and will evidently be sporting the “black” Superman suit made famous by the comics. Also, in this new trailer, we see a cameo from Jared Leto as The Joker (the version we saw in SUICIDE SQUAD), though it looks like it might just be part of Bruce Wayne’s nightmare sequence. Man, I hope it’s good, as this is a serious time and financial investment for a film we’ve kind of already seen, even if this version promises to be significantly different. Check out the new trailer below and tell us your thoughts in the comments.
Born and raised in Dallas, Mark has been a movie critic since 1994, with reviews featured in print, radio and National TV. In 2001 he started the Entertainment section of the Herorealm website, where he contributed film reviews and celebrity interviews until 2004. After three years of service there, he started Bigfanboy.com, which has become one of the Dallas film community's leading information websites. Bigfanboy hosts several movie screenings in the Texas area, and works closely with film and TV studios and promotional partners to host exciting events and contests. The site also features a variety of rare celebrity and filmmaker interviews, and Bigfanboy.com regularly covers the film festival circuit as well. In addition to Hollywood reporting, Mark has worked for many years as an advertising and sci-fi/comic book artist. Clients have included Lucasfilm Ltd., Topps Trading Cards, The Dallas Mavericks and The Dallas Stars. From 2002 until 2015 he managed the Dallas Comic Con, Sci-Fi Expo and Fan Days events in the DFW area. He currently catalogs rare comic books and movie memorabilia for Heritage Auctions, and runs the Dallas Comic Show conventions, but remains an avid moviegoer and cinema buff. 
