The Justice League Scene Zack Snyder Would Have Filmed In His Backyard If He Had To
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The hype surrounding Zack Snyder's Justice League has been building for years, as DCEU fans were severely disappointed by the 2017 theatrical version of the film. Irreconcilable differences with Warner Bros. — as well as unfortunate circumstances involving a family crisis — led to Snyder stepping down from the project, and even Avengers director Joss Whedon stepping in wasn't enough to satisfy fans of the franchise.
The hashtag #ReleaseTheSnyderCut began trending on Twitter in 2019 as fans demanded that the director's original vision be made public. Now that certain facts have come to light about Whedon's harsh treatment of his actors on set, it seems that fans are even more eager to dismiss the theatrical version of Justice League.
Now, at last, the Snyder Cut of Justice League has been released on HBO Max. The four-hour epic pits DC's biggest heroes against the villainous Steppenwolf and his master, Darkseid — two of DC Comics' biggest baddies. While Zack Snyder's Justice League gives viewers hours of new content — including reshoots and an overhaul of special effects — there is one scene in particular that had fans excited even before the revamped cut was released. We're talking, of course, about Ben Affleck's Batman in a scene with Jared Leto's Joker.
The Snyder Cut brings Batman and the Joker together
Zack Snyder and Warner Bros. have worked together on the DCEU since Man of Steel, and it's known that the director and the studio have often butted heads. Such disagreements included Snyder's films going over budget, as well as the darker, more grim portrayals that are featured in movies like Batman v Superman. However, when the demand for Snyder's original vision for Justice League rose to deafening levels, the studio finally agreed to help fund the project.
That didn't mean that Warner Bros. was willing to give Snyder free reign, however. The director had to fight to bring his vision to the screen on various fronts. One thing in particular that Snyder was adamant about was giving viewers a scene between the Caped Crusader and the Clown Prince of Crime — even if it was only in a dream sequence. The scene in question shows Batman and other DC heroes in an alternate future where the world has been laid to waste thanks to a rogue Superman, and it looks as though the Joker and Batman have temporarily put their differences aside in order to survive.
Snyder shared with Yahoo! that Warner Brothers had argued against the scene being made, but the director was determined. "The Batman and Joker relationship is so element [sic] to both characters," said Snyder, "and if I never make another DC film, I felt it was rude not to have done a scene with the two of them. Originally the studio said, 'Now we don't want that,' but I was like, 'I'm going to do it anyway.' I was going to put up some green screens and shoot it in my backyard, but we didn't have to do that in the end."
While it would have been interesting to see what Snyder's "backyard cut" would have looked like, ultimately, the director was able to give his fans an intriguing scene between two of DC's most famous adversaries. To see it, and the rest of Zack Snyder's Justice League, head on over to HBO Max.