The 13th of November 2017 marked the premiere of Justice League at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, but the film's true story began months earlier with a tragedy that would fundamentally alter its existence. In May 2017, director Zack Snyder stepped down from his post-production duties following the suicide of his daughter, Autumn, a personal catastrophe that left Warner Bros. Pictures in a state of crisis. The studio quickly hired Joss Whedon to take over the helm, a decision that would result in a film that was less a continuation of Snyder's vision and more a complete reinvention. Whedon oversaw a massive reshoot campaign that cost an additional $25 million, bringing the total production budget to an estimated $300 million, making it one of the most expensive films ever made. The resulting theatrical release, which ran for exactly two hours to satisfy studio mandates, was a patchwork of conflicting tones that left Snyder's original footage largely unused. Cinematographer Fabian Wagner later estimated that only 10% of the footage shot by Snyder and himself appeared in the final cut, while Snyder himself claimed that only a quarter of his material was utilized. The film became a symbol of corporate interference, with Warner Bros. executives rushing the release to secure bonuses before their merger with AT&T, prioritizing financial timelines over artistic cohesion.
The Search for Heroes
The narrative of Justice League begins thousands of years before the events of the film, when Steppenwolf, an alien military officer from Apokolips, attempted to conquer Earth using three Mother Boxes. He was stopped by a unified alliance of Olympian Gods, Amazons, Atlanteans, and humanity, leading to the separation and hiding of the Boxes. In the present day, the death of Superman reactivates the Boxes, drawing Steppenwolf back to Earth to gather them and terraform the planet into a copy of his homeworld. Bruce Wayne, also known as Batman, and Diana Prince, the Wonder Woman, must recruit four other metahumans to stop this catastrophic threat. Wayne approaches Arthur Curry, the half-human, half-Atlantean Aquaman, and Barry Allen, the speedster known as The Flash, while Diana seeks out Victor Stone, a former college athlete who was transformed into a techno-organic being known as Cyborg after a near-fatal accident. The recruitment process is fraught with difficulty; Wayne fails to persuade Curry, who is initially reluctant to join the cause, but finds Allen enthusiastic and eager to help. Victor joins the group only after his father, Silas Stone, and other employees at S.T.A.R. Labs are kidnapped by Steppenwolf, who is desperate to retrieve the Mother Box protected by humanity. The team eventually learns that Victor's father used the last Mother Box to rebuild Victor's body, a revelation that forces Bruce to make a desperate decision to use the Box to resurrect Superman.The Resurrection and The Return
The resurrection of Clark Kent's body is a pivotal moment that nearly derails the entire mission. The team places his corpse in the amniotic fluid of the Kryptonian scout ship's genesis chamber alongside the Mother Box, successfully bringing him back to life. However, the process leaves Superman without his memories, causing him to attack the group in a mindless frenzy. Batman is forced to enact a contingency plan involving Lois Lane, the undaunted and compassionate award-winning journalist for the Daily Planet and Kent's love interest. Superman calms down upon seeing her and leaves with her to his family home in Smallville, where his memories eventually return. In the chaos of the resurrection, the last Mother Box is left unguarded, allowing Steppenwolf to retrieve it. Without Superman to aid them, the five heroes travel to a village in Russia to confront Steppenwolf's lair. They fight their way through the army of Parademons, and just when all hope seems lost, Superman arrives to assist Victor in separating the Mother Boxes. The team defeats Steppenwolf, who is then attacked by his own Parademons when they detect his fear. The film concludes with the heroes setting up a base of operations, with Diana and Arthur resuming their duties, Barry acquiring a job at the Central City police department, and Victor continuing to enhance his abilities with his father.The Behind-The-Scenes Turmoil
The production of Justice League was a chaotic journey that began in 2007 when Warner Bros. Pictures hired husband-and-wife duo Michele and Kieran Mulroney to write a script for a film titled Justice League: Mortal. The project was initially fast-tracked to begin filming before the 2007, 08 Writers Guild of America strike, but the strike forced the production to halt. George Miller was signed to direct in September 2007 with a projected budget of $220 million, but production delays and the success of The Dark Knight trilogy led Warner Bros. to focus on individual films instead. The project was relaunched in 2013 with Man of Steel, and by 2014, Zack Snyder was hired to direct. Principal photography began on the 11th of April 2016, and wrapped in October 2016, but the process was plagued by rewrites and studio interference. Geoff Johns and Jon Berg were brought in to produce the film and oversee the DC Extended Universe, leading to numerous rewrites that caused friction with Snyder and the original writers. The studio held a footage summit for writers including Whedon, Wonder Woman screenwriter Allan Heinberg, Seth Grahame-Smith, and Andrea Berloff, resulting in a film that was a patchwork of different visions. The final theatrical cut was mandated to be under two hours, and the studio refused to delay the release despite the numerous problems in post-production, leading to a film that many critics and fans found disjointed and visually inconsistent.The Box Office Bomb and Critical Divide
Justice League premiered on the 13th of November 2017, and was released in the United States four days later, but its financial performance was disastrous. The film grossed $661.3 million worldwide against an estimated break-even point of $750 million, resulting in a loss of around $60 million for the studio. The film was deemed a box office bomb, with industry tracking initially forecasting a debut of $110, 120 million, but the film ended up debuting to $93.8 million, down 45% from the opening of Batman v Superman. The critical reception was mixed to negative, with praise for the cast but criticism for the character of Steppenwolf and the film's visual effects. Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film 3.5 out of 4 stars, praising the cast, especially Gal Gadot, while Todd McCarthy of The Hollywood Reporter called the film visually ugly and boring. The film's tone shift from Snyder's darker films to Whedon's lighter approach alienated the core audience, and the film's performance was further hampered by poor critical reception and the late release of aggregated scores from Rotten Tomatoes. Despite the financial failure, the film broke records in the Philippines and Brazil, and it became the 7th-most successful film of all time in the Philippines.The Snyder Cut Campaign
The divisive reaction to the theatrical cut of Justice League sparked a fan campaign known as the Snyder Cut, which advocated for the release of Snyder's original vision. The campaign gained momentum after Snyder confirmed in March 2019 that his original cut existed, and he officially confirmed in May 2020 that it would be released for HBO Max in 2021. The cut cost over $70 million to complete, including special effects, musical score, and editing, and required the return of some of the original cast, including Ben Affleck, Ray Fisher, and Ezra Miller. The Snyder Cut, which runs for four hours, was far better received than the theatrical version, with many critics and fans praising its cohesive storytelling and character development. The campaign also brought to light the abusive treatment of the cast and crew by Joss Whedon, with Ray Fisher claiming that Whedon's on-set behavior was gross, abusive, and unprofessional. The release of the Snyder Cut also led to a reevaluation of the film's legacy, with many arguing that the theatrical version was an act of vandalism that destroyed Snyder's vision. Despite the success of the Snyder Cut, Warner Bros. has stated that it will not be made canon to the DC Extended Universe, and there are no current plans for a sequel to the film.The 13th of November 2017 marked the premiere of Justice League at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, but the film's true story began months earlier with a tragedy that would fundamentally alter its existence. In May 2017, director Zack Snyder stepped down from his post-production duties following the suicide of his daughter, Autumn, a personal catastrophe that left Warner Bros. Pictures in a state of crisis. The studio quickly hired Joss Whedon to take over the helm, a decision that would result in a film that was less a continuation of Snyder's vision and more a complete reinvention. Whedon oversaw a massive reshoot campaign that cost an additional $25 million, bringing the total production budget to an estimated $300 million, making it one of the most expensive films ever made. The resulting theatrical release, which ran for exactly two hours to satisfy studio mandates, was a patchwork of conflicting tones that left Snyder's original footage largely unused. Cinematographer Fabian Wagner later estimated that only 10% of the footage shot by Snyder and himself appeared in the final cut, while Snyder himself claimed that only a quarter of his material was utilized. The film became a symbol of corporate interference, with Warner Bros. executives rushing the release to secure bonuses before their merger with AT&T, prioritizing financial timelines over artistic cohesion.
The Search for Heroes
The narrative of Justice League begins thousands of years before the events of the film, when Steppenwolf, an alien military officer from Apokolips, attempted to conquer Earth using three Mother Boxes. He was stopped by a unified alliance of Olympian Gods, Amazons, Atlanteans, and humanity, leading to the separation and hiding of the Boxes. In the present day, the death of Superman reactivates the Boxes, drawing Steppenwolf back to Earth to gather them and terraform the planet into a copy of his homeworld. Bruce Wayne, also known as Batman, and Diana Prince, the Wonder Woman, must recruit four other metahumans to stop this catastrophic threat. Wayne approaches Arthur Curry, the half-human, half-Atlantean Aquaman, and Barry Allen, the speedster known as The Flash, while Diana seeks out Victor Stone, a former college athlete who was transformed into a techno-organic being known as Cyborg after a near-fatal accident. The recruitment process is fraught with difficulty; Wayne fails to persuade Curry, who is initially reluctant to join the cause, but finds Allen enthusiastic and eager to help. Victor joins the group only after his father, Silas Stone, and other employees at S.T.A.R. Labs are kidnapped by Steppenwolf, who is desperate to retrieve the Mother Box protected by humanity. The team eventually learns that Victor's father used the last Mother Box to rebuild Victor's body, a revelation that forces Bruce to make a desperate decision to use the Box to resurrect Superman.
The Resurrection and The Return
The resurrection of Clark Kent's body is a pivotal moment that nearly derails the entire mission. The team places his corpse in the amniotic fluid of the Kryptonian scout ship's genesis chamber alongside the Mother Box, successfully bringing him back to life. However, the process leaves Superman without his memories, causing him to attack the group in a mindless frenzy. Batman is forced to enact a contingency plan involving Lois Lane, the undaunted and compassionate award-winning journalist for the Daily Planet and Kent's love interest. Superman calms down upon seeing her and leaves with her to his family home in Smallville, where his memories eventually return. In the chaos of the resurrection, the last Mother Box is left unguarded, allowing Steppenwolf to retrieve it. Without Superman to aid them, the five heroes travel to a village in Russia to confront Steppenwolf's lair. They fight their way through the army of Parademons, and just when all hope seems lost, Superman arrives to assist Victor in separating the Mother Boxes. The team defeats Steppenwolf, who is then attacked by his own Parademons when they detect his fear. The film concludes with the heroes setting up a base of operations, with Diana and Arthur resuming their duties, Barry acquiring a job at the Central City police department, and Victor continuing to enhance his abilities with his father.
The Behind-The-Scenes Turmoil
The production of Justice League was a chaotic journey that began in 2007 when Warner Bros. Pictures hired husband-and-wife duo Michele and Kieran Mulroney to write a script for a film titled Justice League: Mortal. The project was initially fast-tracked to begin filming before the 2007, 08 Writers Guild of America strike, but the strike forced the production to halt. George Miller was signed to direct in September 2007 with a projected budget of $220 million, but production delays and the success of The Dark Knight trilogy led Warner Bros. to focus on individual films instead. The project was relaunched in 2013 with Man of Steel, and by 2014, Zack Snyder was hired to direct. Principal photography began on the 11th of April 2016, and wrapped in October 2016, but the process was plagued by rewrites and studio interference. Geoff Johns and Jon Berg were brought in to produce the film and oversee the DC Extended Universe, leading to numerous rewrites that caused friction with Snyder and the original writers. The studio held a footage summit for writers including Whedon, Wonder Woman screenwriter Allan Heinberg, Seth Grahame-Smith, and Andrea Berloff, resulting in a film that was a patchwork of different visions. The final theatrical cut was mandated to be under two hours, and the studio refused to delay the release despite the numerous problems in post-production, leading to a film that many critics and fans found disjointed and visually inconsistent.
The Box Office Bomb and Critical Divide
Justice League premiered on the 13th of November 2017, and was released in the United States four days later, but its financial performance was disastrous. The film grossed $661.3 million worldwide against an estimated break-even point of $750 million, resulting in a loss of around $60 million for the studio. The film was deemed a box office bomb, with industry tracking initially forecasting a debut of $110, 120 million, but the film ended up debuting to $93.8 million, down 45% from the opening of Batman v Superman. The critical reception was mixed to negative, with praise for the cast but criticism for the character of Steppenwolf and the film's visual effects. Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film 3.5 out of 4 stars, praising the cast, especially Gal Gadot, while Todd McCarthy of The Hollywood Reporter called the film visually ugly and boring. The film's tone shift from Snyder's darker films to Whedon's lighter approach alienated the core audience, and the film's performance was further hampered by poor critical reception and the late release of aggregated scores from Rotten Tomatoes. Despite the financial failure, the film broke records in the Philippines and Brazil, and it became the 7th-most successful film of all time in the Philippines.
The Snyder Cut Campaign
The divisive reaction to the theatrical cut of Justice League sparked a fan campaign known as the Snyder Cut, which advocated for the release of Snyder's original vision. The campaign gained momentum after Snyder confirmed in March 2019 that his original cut existed, and he officially confirmed in May 2020 that it would be released for HBO Max in 2021. The cut cost over $70 million to complete, including special effects, musical score, and editing, and required the return of some of the original cast, including Ben Affleck, Ray Fisher, and Ezra Miller. The Snyder Cut, which runs for four hours, was far better received than the theatrical version, with many critics and fans praising its cohesive storytelling and character development. The campaign also brought to light the abusive treatment of the cast and crew by Joss Whedon, with Ray Fisher claiming that Whedon's on-set behavior was gross, abusive, and unprofessional. The release of the Snyder Cut also led to a reevaluation of the film's legacy, with many arguing that the theatrical version was an act of vandalism that destroyed Snyder's vision. Despite the success of the Snyder Cut, Warner Bros. has stated that it will not be made canon to the DC Extended Universe, and there are no current plans for a sequel to the film.