What distinguishes a great director from a mediocre one in the world of cinema? Is it their ability to weave captivating stories, their stunning visual artistry, or their ability to bring out stellar performances from actors? While all of these factors contribute to a director’s success, their ability to connect with the audience is the ultimate measure of their greatness. This is what Zack Snyder believed and, no doubt, he learned from his work on the Justice League and the director’s cut of the film.
Even if an artist pours their heart and soul into a piece, it will go unnoticed if no one sees it. Snyder has publicly expressed his agreement with this sentiment, particularly when discussing his experience working for the much-anticipated Justice League.
According to the 300 director, there is only one set of rules if making money is the only objective. A slightly different set of rules should be adhered to if the other’s goal is to provoke, inspire, or challenge. Obviously, the two will collide, but, as Snyder said, one must account for all possibilities.
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Zack Snyder’s Biggest Takeaway From the Justice League Experience
In addition to making Wonder Woman and Suicide Squad, Zack Snyder also wrote and directed three DC films: Justice League (2017), Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016), and Man of Steel (2013). In 2017, he ended the Justice League’s production due to disagreements with the studio regarding his vision, following the death of his daughter.
Joss Whedon took over and completely redesigned Snyder’s body of work, resulting in a critically panned film. Warner eventually completed and released the so-called Snyder Cut, a 242-minute film that turned into one of the most improbable successes in response to a fan-led campaign.
What lesson did this teach him? Snyder gave The Guardian the following explanation:
“I did learn a lot. Even before we shot it, the studio were worried, saying it was too dark and how are you going to put more jokes into this thing? You realise that you are in a big machine and if you want to say particular things as an individual or as an artist, to be philosophical and muck about, it can get you.”
A director has an uphill battle to make a name for themselves in an industry where countless films are produced every year. Renowned for his visually arresting and thought-provoking films, Snyder knows how important it is to reach as many people as possible with his message. To quote him:
“The why of doing it is the most important thing. Are you creating a piece of commerce? Do you care? If the objective is simply to make money you have one set of rules. And if the other is to provoke or to inspire or challenge, then that’s a slightly different set of criteria. The two can certainly meet, but you have to be wide-eyed about the consequences of both. Because you can be the greatest film-maker in the world, but if no one sees your movie…”
Warner Bros. lost an estimated $60 million on Justice League (2017), which became a box office bomb with a global gross of $657.9 million against an assumed break-even point of $750 million.
The Former President Of DC Entertainment’s Views on Zack Snyder
There is a theory from a former DC executive. President of DC Entertainment from 2009 to 2018, Diane Nelson, expressed her opinion to Vanity Fair that Zack Snyder’s characters might have been too grim for certain people. Though she acknowledged his storytelling abilities, Nelson argued that Snyder’s tendency to go deeply into his characters ultimately made viewers harder to love:
“Zack is a masterful visual storyteller who goes deep on individual characters. For some people, that is amazing, and for other people that becomes the problem because they have fixed opinions about who these DC characters are and are not.”
‘The Snyder Cut’, as it is commonly called, piqued the interest of a lot of people. In 2020, Warner Bros. announced that Zack Snyder’s Justice League would be released, despite the majority of industry insiders deeming its release improbable. Zack Snyder’s Justice League was released in 2021. It was the fourth-most-streamed movie on the platform that year.
Both Zack Snyder’s Justice League and Justice League are streaming on Max.
