Syfy Insider Exclusive

Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, sweepstakes, and more!

Sign Up For Free to View
SYFY WIRE justice league

Deborah Snyder says Justice League Snyder Cut will be more of a 'slow burn' when it heads to HBO Max

By Josh Weiss
Justice League

Get ready to savor Zack Snyder's intended cut of Justice League. During a Q&A at Justice Con this weekend, Deborah Snyder (the director's wife and producing partner) characterized the elongated version of the DCEU film as a "slow burn" that would take its sweet time in fleshing out the characters of the titular superhero team. In late May, it was reported that the Snyder Cut will be either a four-hour director's cut or a miniseries of six chapters.

"It's almost like you think about it differently, because to me, it becomes a character study," she said of how the move to HBO Max reframes the entire project. "For us, it's about building the team, but seeing who these characters are, and they each have arcs, and they each have motivations. If you can't spend the time developing the characters and who they are and where they've come from, you don't necessarily understand what it means when they come together."

Snyder went on to say that "the expectation is different" when you watch something on subscription services like HBO Max, Netflix, and Disney+. Their very existence does away with the traditional studio pressures of runtime, critical reviews, and ticket sales. "The slow burn is okay, and there's much more character development happening when you look at what's being done on the streaming platforms," she continued. "In a way, I think it's the best time for this, and it's really exciting and I really hope the fans like it ... I do think it satisfies a lot more."

Referring to the overwhelming fan support that got Warner Bros. to revisit the movie in the first place, Snyder said: "I feel like they're gonna study this whole thing in film school."

In terms of content, the producer teased a touching scene where Martha Kent (Diane Lane) visits a depressed Lois Lane (Amy Adams) after the death of Superman (Henry Cavill) in Dawn of Justice.

"It's just this very supportive scene, because even though [Martha's] lost her house, she's coming there not to ask for help, but to help Lois. I really like that, you'll get to see that scene," she said.

Near the end of the stream, Snyder alluded to a mystery project ("something coming up ... with another director") she couldn't say much about. However, she did mention it right after bringing up Wonder Woman writer/director Patty Jenkins, so it might be related to the Amazon spinoff Jenkins co-created with Geoff Johns.

The Snyder Cut of Justice League is slated to arrive on HBO Max sometime next year.