Joss Whedon (Avengers) has signed on to take over Justice League from Zack Snyder. In a sad turn of events, the Batman v Superman director has been forced to step down due a serious family trauma. While fans may begin to rejoice because Whedon has quite the pedigree with ensemble casts, Snyder’s reasons for leaving had nothing to do with how poorly he’s handling the DC cinematic universe.
According to a report by THR, Snyder is stepping down from the post-production of the film and all other work he is currently involved in because of the sudden suicide of his 20-year-old daughter Autumn Snyder in March. Her death was kept private, and Justice League did take a two-week hiatus when it occurred, but the Snyder’s feel that they need more time to heal. Snyder says:
“In my mind, I thought it was a cathartic thing to go back to work, to just bury myself and see if that was a way through it. The demands of this job are pretty intense. It is all-consuming. And in the last two months, I’ve come to the realization …I’ve decided to take a step back from the movie to be with my family, be with my kids, who really need me. They are all having a hard time. I’m having a hard time.”
Warner Bros. wanted to delay the release of Justice League. The Snyder family needed time to grieve, but they declined. The studio also extended Snyder’s first-look deal giving him tim to work on other projects when he returns from hiatus. Whedon was previously brought on to write additional scenes for Justice League. Snyder realized he couldn’t return to the UK to film the scenes. He needed to stay home to grieve with his family. Whedon will take over the post-production of the film, and filming the additional scenes.
Justice League is still Snyder’s project. He knows some internet trolls will run with this, but the film will still be great:
“I thought it would just be in the family, a private matter, our private sorrow that we would deal with. When it became obvious that I need to take a break, I knew there would be narratives created on the internet. They’ll do what they do. The truth it…I’m past caring about that kind of thing now.
I want the movie to be amazing and I’m a fan, but that all pales pretty quickly in comparison. I know the fans are going to be worried about the movie, but there are seven other kids that need me. In the end, it’s just a movie. It’s a great movie. But it’s just a movie.”
Justice League is still aiming for a November 17 release date.
We here at PopcornSushi are sorry for the Snyder family’s loss, and offer our sincerest condolences.
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