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."
The tragedy on the set of the movie "Rust" is sparking calls for safer Hollywood film sets. Actor Alec Baldwin accidentally killed the film's director of photography and injured the director when he fired a prop gun while rehearsing a scene last week, unaware the weapon was loaded with live rounds. Tom Murray, entertainment editor of Insider, joined Cheddar to discuss how prop guns can still be very dangerous and why Hollywood has prioritized realism over safety, despite several on-set accidents over the decades.
Jill and Carlo cover the latest developments in the Alec Baldwin prop gun shooting, when vaccines for kids as young as 5 should be approved, new reporting on Facebook and more.
Dana Sussman, deputy executive director at the National Advocates for Pregnant Women, joined Cheddar News to talk about Brittney Poolaw, who was sentenced to four years in state prison for a miscarriage she suffered last year.
A Glassdoor report found mentions of "burnout" in online job reviews have increased by 100 percent over the course of the pandemic. Daniel Zhao, the senior economist for the company, talked to Cheddar about the underlying reasons workers have been expressing themselves about the state of their mental health. "That's really a reflection of the fact that the COVID-19 pandemic has been going on for almost 2 years now, and it's really dragged on," he said. "So workers are increasingly feeling like the lines between their work life and their home life are blurred, and they don't feel like they can get that same balance that they might have been able to get before the pandemic."
Tesla's third-quarter earnings report is expected to beat expectations on both the top and bottom lines amid record-high delivery numbers. The electric vehicle giant hit a record high of 241,000 deliveries - strong numbers amid ongoing global semiconductor and supply chain shortages. This segment is brought to you by Webull. Download the Webull app and start learning, sharing, and investing.
Middle school students from across the country battled it out for a chance at being crowned 'America's Top Scientist.' Each applicant had to submit a video to compete in the '3M Young Scientist Challenge' and describe a unique solution to an everyday problem for the chance to win $25,000. 10 finalists were chosen and after a two-day virtual competition, one walked away with the title. 14-year-old Sarah Park won the award, she joins Cheddar News to talk about her invention Spark Care+.
Netflix’s "Squid Game" has been the buzz of the entertainment world and according to Bloomberg, the series has an estimated value of $900 million to the streaming giant. So far, the film has hit number one in each country Netflix operates in.
Disney has announced that it is reworking the release schedule of its Marvel Cinematic Universe like "Black Panther 2" and "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness." The delays were reportedly attributed to production issues and the theater date selection process amid the pandemic.