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Joss Whedon’s ‘Justice League’ Probably Isn’t Considered Canon in The DCEU Anymore

As Zack Snyder's directors cut gets set to make its debut on HBO Max, the knives come out for Joss Whedon's underwhelming and underperforming Justice League

The release of Zack Snyder’s Justice League, the rare fan-demanded director’s cut, is still several months away but Joss Whedon’s theatrical version continues to be assailed by fans, other DC extended universe directors, and now Warner Brothers themselves. The storied entertainment company has just announced it’s completed an investigation into the set of Justice League.

“WarnerMedia’s investigation into the ‘Justice League’ movie has concluded and remedial action has been taken,” a statement reads, though it’s not clear what the “remedial action” is.

WarnerMedia launched an investigation into the DC Comics movie last August after Cyborg actor Ray Fisher publicly accused director Whedon and producers Geoff Johns and Jon Berg of misconduct on the set. Fisher claimed Whedon’s “on-set treatment of the cast and crew was gross, abusive, unprofessional, and completely unacceptable,” and said his behavior was “enabled” by former Warner Bros. Co-President of Production Berg and former DC Entertainment President and Chief Creative Officer Johns.

Whedon took over filmmaking duties from original director Zack Snyder who officially left the production to grieve with his family after the suicide of his daughter. As tragic as that circumstance was, some fans have always believed he was fired because Warners wasn’t happy with the direction of the film. Given the chance to take a lighter and humorous approach, they replaced Snyder with Whedon who rewrote much of the film and brought back key actors for reshoots. This ‘Marvel approach’ ultimately failed. Though not officially a flop, it underwhelmed and underperformed.

Whether it’s an admission they fucked up or are just looking for cash-generating content for their fledgling streaming service HBO Max, Warners finally relented to fan pressure and allowed original director Snyder to finish his original vision for the film after a massive social media campaign in favor of it picked up the support of stars Henry Cavil, Jason Mamoa, Ray Fisher, and most notably Gal Gadot who has become one of Hollywood’s most bankable actors.

And now, in what likely seals the theatrical version of Justice League’s fate as one of Hollywood’s all-time misfires, Wonder Woman and Wonder Woman 1984 director Patty Jenkins is saying she and other DC directors have “tossed out” Joss Whedon’s Justice League. In a recent interview to promote the upcoming Wonder Woman sequel release, Ms. Jenkins was quite candid.

“Justice League? No, I think that all of us DC directors tossed that out just as much as the fans did but also, I felt that that version contradicted my first movie in many ways, and this current movie, which I was already in production on,” She said. “So then, what are you going to do? I was like… you would have to play ball in both directions in order for that to work.”

“The only thing I have done, and have always tried to do, is — I knew, when Zack was doing Justice League, where she sort of ends up,” she continues. “So I always tried… like, I didn’t change her suit, because I never want to… I don’t want to contradict his films, you know? But yet, I have to have my own films, and he’s been very supportive of that. And so, I think that that Justice League was kind of an outlier. They were trying to turn one thing into, kind of, another. And so then it becomes, ‘I don’t recognize half of these characters. I’m not sure what’s going on.’”

So what do YOU think? Will the theatrical version of Justice League now be ignored by DC directors, fans, and actors in favor of Snyder’s original version? Do you think the director will get a shot at the sequel?

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About the author

J Davis

J is a former rock star, former DJ, comic book & political historian, and novelist who once read the ingredients on a chewing gum wrapper and unlocked the secrets of the universe.

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