AI Sets A Zack Snyder's Justice League Trailer In The '50s And It's Bizarre
Back in 2017, Warner Bros. debuted the theatrical cut of "Justice League" to mediocre financial and critical receipts. After backlash and a lengthy fan campaign, the studio allowed Zack Snyder to release his director's cut in 2021. While Warner Bros. reportedly regrets releasing Snyder's "Justice League," the remix proved to be popular with fans and critics. Unfortunately, the filmmaker's vision for the DC property is in the rearview mirror, as James Gunn has taken over as the franchise's steward — much to the chagrin of Snyder loyalists. Using artificial intelligence, YouTube user Multiverse Wizard has found a convenient way to continue the Snyderverse, and it's definitely bizarre.
In a trailer, the user has created a fan concept that treats Snyder's "Justice League" as a film released in the '50s. The video, which includes an era-accurate voiceover, gleefully imagines what the superhero team-up pic would look like. The film boasts the same premise — the Justice League beefing with Steppenwolf (Ciarán Hinds) — but features the characters donning retro suits and operating old-school tech.
The entire Justice League is recast, populated with actors who look like they're directly from that time period. Batman's suit is far less complex than the one seen in "Justice League," looking more in line with his classic comic book costume. Superman's suit takes cues from the one Christopher Reeves had in the '70s, while Wonder Woman looks elegant as ever in an outfit similar to what Gal Gadot wore.
There's (unfortunately) no '50s set Justice League
The fan concept is quite expansive, introducing every Justice League member. Most of the suits don't have the same modern flair that we're used to, but they still look solid and would have made 1950s audiences extremely pleased. Characters like Steppenwolf and Darkseid, who were created using CGI in Zack Snyder's "Justice League," particularly stand out. In the video, it's clear that actors are wearing suits and considerable amounts of prosthetics to step into their character's shoes. The Parademons are also obviously actors in elaborate costumes.
This is a big-budget spectacle for the time, teasing several sequences like Batman and Superman fighting, the Man of Steel rescuing Lois Lane, and Aquaman's underwater introduction. We even see iconic locations like the gothic Batcave, making this one of the most fleshed-out concept trailers on YouTube. As great as it is, it's unlikely that we'll ever get a throwback take on Snyder's "Justice League." Snyder has previously explained how he has superhero fatigue (like the rest of us) and he's now busy cooking projects up over at Netflix.
As great as it would be to see a superhero film set in the past (2025's "Fantastic Four" may have a 1960s setting), the rebooted DC Universe seems to take place in contemporary times. The franchise is on track to debut with 2025's "Superman." The James Gunn-directed pic will depict Superman differently than Snyder, which should either please or enrage fans.