The Big Question We Have About Zack Snyder's Justice League
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Contains spoilers for Zack Snyder's Justice League
It's not uncommon for superhero films to spawn sequels. In fact, these days, it seems like it's more uncommon for them not to. While sequels aren't always a sure bet in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) in the way that they're guarantees for Marvel Cinematic Universe projects, they're definitely not off the table — as proven by the December 2020 launch of Wonder Woman 1984 and the upcoming debuts of Aquaman 2 and Shazam! Fury of the Gods (set for release on December 16, 2022 and June 2, 2023, respectively). Even 2016's Suicide Squad is getting a follow-up in the reboot movie The Suicide Squad.
This considered, it's natural for fans to wonder whether the newest DC film release will get another chapter. Zack Snyder's Justice League has been the talk of the entire internet since it premiered on HBO Max on March 18, 2021, and audiences everywhere are pondering the possibility of a sequel, especially given the way the director's cut wraps up.
There are a lot of factors at play and plenty to unpack, so let's dig into the big question Zack Snyder's Justice League leaves us with: Will there ever be a sequel to it?
The cliffhanger at the end of Zack Snyder's Justice League doesn't hold the significance you think it does
The Snyder Cut of Justice League ends in such a way that making a sequel would be a walk in the park, at least in terms of narrative continuity: It wraps up on a cliffhanger. After an escaped Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg) tells Deathstroke (Joe Manganiello) that Batman (Ben Affleck) is really Bruce Wayne, viewers watch as Batman has a dream about the Knightmare reality — the one in which he, Deathstroke, the Flash (Ezra Miller), Cyborg (Ray Fisher), Mera (Amber Heard), the Joker (Jared Leto), and a now-evil Superman (Henry Cavill) are traversing the Earth after an apocalypse. Bruce is greeted by the Martian Manhunter (Harry Lennix), who had previously been masquerading as General Calvin Swanwick and even disguised himself as Superman's adoptive mother Martha (Diane Lane) to speak to Lois Lane (Amy Adams). He reveals his true identity to Batman, expresses his gratitude for bringing the Justice League together, and tells him that they'll speak again ... to discuss what Darkseid (Ray Porter) is going to do next.
From a storytelling perspective, this type of ending beautifully sets up a sequel, as the basic premise for a continued story is established in the final scene. And if Zack Snyder's Justice League were a regular movie released in theaters as the one and only version of the movie, no Joss Whedon cut and no campaign to make the Snyder Cut a reality, a sequel would probably happen. Reviews for Zack Snyder's Justice League have been pretty incredible, with critics giving it a 73 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and audiences handing it a 96 percent score, and the film is dominating the pop culture conversation at present. Basically, if the movie came into existence under different circumstances, Warner Bros. would be silly to not greenlight a sequel, the bones for which are outlined in the original.
ButZack Snyder's Justice League is what it is: a director's cut of a movie that has a different official, theatrical version. Snyder himself has said that he ended the movie on a cliffhanger simply because that's what he would have done originally, not for any other reason. "[I wanted] to just release the movie exactly as it was designed, and that is what that scene is really indicative of," he told IGN. Snyder also explained that he could have crafted an ending that felt more definitive and didn't leave things open-ended, but that didn't feel genuine or satisfying: "It's in-genre to end these movies on a cliffhanger. That's kind of how they are, and I just felt like that's what I wanted to do."
Zack Snyder has said he doesn't plan on making a sequel
The possibility of Zack Snyder's Justice League 2 ever happening hinges entirely on two things. The first is whether Snyder would even be interested in directing (and likely writing) the sequel. Unfortunately for fans, Snyder has given an answer to that, and it's likely to disappoint.
In January 2021, Snyder said in an interview with Comic Book Debate that he has no plans to continue on with the DCEU in the future — but he admitted that he never thought he'd really be in a position to release his version of Justice League in the first place, so there's a very small chance things could change (via Collider).
"Look, I never thought I'd be here doing this. I didn't think I'd be finishing Justice League. [...] As far as what I did and as far as what my vision for what I wanted to do with these characters and the journey I wanted them to go on, it's well-known that I planned on more movies — five movies or something — but I'm busy. I've got a lot going on," Snyder explained. "Is it cool that the fans have so much faith in the trajectory? Yes, it's amazing, and I couldn't be happier and I'm excited for them to see Justice League so they can really drink the entire elixir of Justice League. But would I continue? I have no plan to. But like I said, I didn't think I'd be here, so who knows?"
Snyder did drop some more recent comments at IGN Fan Fest in late February 2021, and those made it seem as though the director might be more amenable to revisiting his Justice League world in the future than he originally let on. When asked if he would consider directing a sequel, Snyder said, "That's very hypothetical. I think that I would say, I would believe it when I see it, and happy to cross that bridge when I see it approaching." However, when viewing those remarks without rose-colored glasses, it's pretty clear that Snyder's of the opinion that a sequel to his cut of Justice League is akin to a flying pig: something that happens only in dreams.
A WarnerMedia executive addresses Justice League 2
Now, the second thing upon which the existence of Zack Snyder's Justice League 2 hinges is the approval of executives at Warner Bros. and DC Entertainment — and, most importantly, their shared parent company, WarnerMedia. All was quiet on that front in the lead-up to the Snyder Cut's HBO Max debut, but on Monday, March 22, WarnerMedia got candid about where things are going from here. In short, Zack Snyder's Justice League is the only Justice League movie Snyder will make — and evidently the last DC movie he'll ever make, too.
Speaking in an interview with Variety, Ann Sarnoff, the CEO of WarnerMedia Studios, stated that Zack Snyder's Justice League brings the director's trilogy to an end. This "trilogy" includes 2013's Man of Steel, its 2016 sequel Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and now 2021's Zack Snyder's Justice League. When asked about the all-new campaign to "restore the Snyder-Verse" and allow Snyder to create more movies featuring the Justice League and its solo characters, Sarnoff said the Snyder Cut is a one-and-done situation, and DC plans to move forward with its other plans.
"I appreciate that they love Zack's work and we are very thankful for his many contributions to DC. We're just so happy that he could bring his cut of the Justice League to life because that wasn't in the plan until about a year ago. With that comes the completion of his trilogy," she explained. "We're very happy we've done this, but we're very excited about the plans we have for all the multi-dimensional DC characters that are being developed right now."
Sadly, it seems that all the perfect cliffhangers and all the loud-and-proud fan campaigns aren't enough to make Zack Snyder's Justice League 2 happen. In the end, at least one Zack Snyder's Justice League got to see the light of day, and hopefully, fans will be happy with that and that alone.