Justice League Fans Petition for Release of Zack Snyder’s Original Cut

DC fans launch a petition for Warner Bros. to release Zack Snyder’s original cut of Justice League. Now that the last superhero film of the year – and arguably the most anticipated of them all – has finally arrived, critics, fans and even casual moviegoers all have their chance to weigh in on Justice League, which may be the most divisive outing from the genre this year. After the astounding success of Wonder Woman, DC Films once again finds themselves in a precarious situation where their project did not really pan out the way they were hoping it would.

Justice League has gone through a tumultuous production process; from its development all the way until post-production, it was marred with controversy and it’s still awe-inspiring how folks behind the project were able to power through and deliver the movie on time. Sure there were lapses but, all in all, it did what it had to do and that is to set-up the League. Still, many brand it as a failure. Considering all the factors that affected the movie, fans are now demanding to see Snyder’s original cut of the film which was reported months ago to be well-received by the studio execs, until the filmmaker stepped down and passed directorial duties to Joss Whedon.

Taking their request to Change.org, over 32,000 fans have signed the petition as of this writing. According to the petition, they’re calling for the release of not just the original cut of the movie, but Junkie XL’s (the original composer before Danny Elfman stepped in) intended musical score of Justice League as well. Started by Roberto Mata from Puerto Rico, he explained the intention of the petition in the mission statement:

“Justice League is the culmination of the alien’s story and the beginning of a new chapter in the DC Extended Universe. Fans have been waiting for years, while others have waited decades for the film to finally arrive on the silver screen. The 2hr runtime is disrespectful towards Zack Snyder’s vision and towards the fans who have waited for more than a year to see the alien’s story come to an end.

Warner Bros. has set some kind of precedent for this kind of thing, having released the Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice – Ultimate Edition with a significant number of scenes cut from the theatrical edition of the movie restored. However, Suicide Squad, another movie where much of the director’s original footage was excised and rearranged for the theatrical cut, received no such restored edition.”

The petition is now relevant more than ever following the cast openly talking about their respective scenes cut from the movie, specifically what was to be character-establishing flashbacks for Barry Allen, Victor Stone, and Arthur Curry, which may have helped with critics’ comments about wanting to spend more time with them. Further, the leak of several Justice League deleted scenes from its early days of production further motivates people to want to see Snyder’s initial version of Justice League.

Let’s be clear, however: Justice League reviews are far kinder than those its predecessors received, specifically Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad, and aptly so. The cast’s chemistry was obviously there with all of the actors delivering their performances. But for a supposedly culminating project, it was simply not enough for many. What is more frustrating is that most of the issues could have been resolved with minimal effort. Nevertheless, all moving parts worked pretty well.

KEY RELEASE DATES
Justice League release date: Nov 17, 2017
Aquaman release date: Dec 21, 2018
Shazam! release date: Apr 5, 2019
Wonder Woman 2 release date: Nov 1, 2019
Cyborg release date: Apr 3, 2020
Green Lantern Corps. release date: Jul 24, 2020