The cast of "Justice League," from left, Jason Momoa, Henry Cavill, Ezra Miller, Gal Gadot, Ray Fisher and Ben Affleck, pose at the premiere of the film in Los Angeles. Warner Bros. Pictures say that director Zack Snyder’s cut of the film” will debut next year on the streaming service HBO Max. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, File)
By Jake Coyle
For several years, the slogan “Release the Snyder cut” has reverberated online as a rallying cry both genuine and ironic — a “Vive la revolution” for comic book movie fans. On Wednesday, they finally got their wish.
Warner Bros. Pictures announced that a director's cut of Zack Snyder's 2017's DC Comics film Justice League will next year debut on the streaming service HBO Max. Snyder first announced the news himself in a live video conference commentary for his Superman film “Man of Steel.”
The so-called #ReleaseTheSnyderCut movement began around the release of Justice League, a movie that Snyder directed but was replaced in post-production by Joss Whedon. The Avengers director, who was credited as co-writer, oversaw extensive reshoots, editing, and visual effects.
By then, Snyder's stewardship of the DC Comics films had drawn much criticism; his previous film Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice rated 28% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. But some fans remained loyal, even as Warner Bros. reshuffled their approach to DC films.
Snyder remained the sole credited director of Justice League and it was likewise panned by critics (40% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes) and considered a disappointment by most fans. But some have maintained that Snyder's vision of the film would have been better. In November, even the film's stars Ben Affleck and Gal Gadot added to the chorus on Twitter.
“Since I got here 14 months ago, the chant to #ReleaseTheSnyderCut has been a daily drumbeat in our offices and inboxes. Well, the fans have asked, and we are thrilled to finally deliver," said Robert Greenblatt, chairman of Warner Media Entertainment, in a statement.
It's unclear if another “Snyder cut” ever existed before the director's departure. Speaking to fans during the Man of Steel watch party, Snyder said he still had work to do on it.
“I want to thank HBO Max and Warner Brothers for this brave gesture of supporting artists and allowing their true visions to be realized," Snyder said in a statement. “Also a special thank you to all of those involved in the SnyderCut movement for making this a reality."
"Anything Is Possible," a documentary about NBA superstar Kevin Garnett recounting his career from being drafted out of high school to a championship with the Boston Celtics, is set to premiere on Showtime. Executive producer Marc Levin and co-directors Daniel Levin and Eric Newman joined Cheddar to provide some background on the project and discuss Garnett's legacy. With KG considered a pioneer for modern NBA draftees straight out of high school (the fifth pick in 1995), the filmmakers also discussed the possibility of the league reversing course on its current rule that requires a player to be at least 19-years-old and a year removed from high school to play.
Brian D. Avery, managing member at Event Safety Services joins Cheddar News to discuss how preventable the recent crowd surge at Travis Scott's Astroworld was.
Former NBA star, commentator, and entrepreneur Baron Davis and Deluxe Corporation Chief Brand Officer Amanda Brinkman, joined Cheddar to discuss Season 6 of the reality show "Small Business Revolution," premiering Tuesday. The season will focus on helping six Black-owned businesses in the Twin Cities, Minneapolis and St. Paul. Davis noted learning about the lack of resources, connections, and opportunities for Black business owners during the show. "There are so many things we need to do as a society to address racial injustice and inequity, however, one of the ways for it is economic empowerment," Brinkman added.
Cryptocurrencies are getting off to a good week. Ethereum surged more than 4% in 24 hours on Monday, hitting a new all-time high above $4,700. Meanwhile, Bitcoin surged 7% to a price of $66,250. Haohan Xu, founder and CEO of Apifiny, joins Cheddar News with thoughts on the growing sector.
Two days after a deadly tragedy claimed the lives of at least eight Astroworld concertgoers and injured several others, the first lawsuit was filed against rapper Travis Scott. Criminal defense attorney Karen Felecia Nance joins Cheddar News to break down the incident.
The latest Marvel movie hit theaters with one of the biggest opening weekends of the year. 'Eternals' opened over the weekend with an estimated $71 million, the fourth-best domestic debut this year. Erik Davis, managing editor at Fandango, joins Cheddar News to talk about the state of box office sales.
Lydia McMullen-Laird and Samuel McMullen, co-founders of Live Zero Waste, join 'Cheddar Reveals' to discuss the sum of humanity's 'trash addiction' and lifestyle changes people can make to help reduce their individual trash output.
On this episode of 'Cheddar Reveals', Lydia McMullen-Laird and Samuel McMullen, co-founders of Live Zero Waste, discuss the sum of humanity's 'trash addiction' and lifestyle changes people can make to help reduce their individual trash output; Ryan Lupberger, Sustainability Pioneer and CEO of Cleancult, breaks down how Cleancult is redefining cleaning products and solutions to reduce their impact on the planet; Cheddar gets a look at Curiosity Stream's 'Going Circular.'
