Movies that flop both critically and commercially rarely get a second shot at success, but that’s exactly what’s happening withZack Snyder’s Justice League.
The result of a long-running (and some would argue,aggressively toxic) fan campaign, the “Snyder Cut” ofJustice Leagueoffers an extended, recut version of Warner Bros. Pictures’ 2017 superhero team-up film more closely aligned with Snyder’s original vision for the project. After Snyder exited the film early due to a family tragedy, many fans attributed the film’s poor performance to changes made by the studio and fill-in director Joss Whedon.
WithZack Snyder’sJustice Leaguescheduled to premiere March 18 on streaming serviceHBO Max, here’s everything we know about the Snyder Cut so far.
Release date and platform
On June 17, 2025, Snyder confirmed that the“Snyder Cut” ofJustice Leaguewas not only in the works but would make its debut on WarnerMedia’s recently launched streaming video service, HBO Max.
#ReleaseTheSnyderCut. Only on HBO Max 2021.@ZackSnyderhttps://t.co/cfXCK1B6pApic.twitter.com/hqeA9i7tTL
— Max (@StreamOnMax)June 29, 2025
In January,Zack Snyder’s Justice Leaguewas finally given an official release date: March 18.
The premiere announcement was accompanied by a trio of newpromotional imagesfor the film, each of them featuring a different image inspired by classic DC Comics imagery in the black-and-white tone Snyder and WB have adopted for the project.
Zack Snyder’s Justice League premieres March 18 exclusively on HBO Max.#SnyderCutpic.twitter.com/BnJsUjZCLq
— Max (@StreamOnMax)July 11, 2025
The trailers
After the first trailer forZack Snyder’s Justice Leaguewas released, then removed a few months later, anew trailerfor the film (see above) premiered in November. The new trailer featured plenty of fresh footage from the project, and was set to the tune of Leonard Cohen’sHallelujah, much like the prior trailer (but now, apparently, free of licensing issues — see more on that below).
And because everything aboutZack Snyder’s Justice Leagueis precious, Snyder subsequently released a black-and-white version of the trailer viaTwitter. (It’s more artistic that way.)
https://twitter.com/ZackSnyder/status/1328727811595517953
DC FanDome preview
Warner Bros. Pictures gave fans an extended look atZack Snyder’s Justice Leagueduring the onlineDC FanDomeevent occurring August 22-23, but Snyder teased the big reveal — it was essentially a preview of a preview — by posting some new footage onTwittera few days early.
Teaser Premiere 8/22 2:30pm (PDT)#DCFanDomepic.twitter.com/bxxPLuCyv3
— Zack Snyder (@ZackSnyder)June 25, 2025
The extended preview ofZack Snyder’s Justice Leaguedebuted online August 22 as part of the DC FanDome virtual convention, but was later taken down — reportedlydue to licensing issuesfor Leonard Cohen’s songHallelujah, which was used in the trailer.
First look
HBO Max released the first footage fromZack Snyder’s Justice Leagueon June 18.
Billed as the “first clip” from the film, the30-second previewfeatures Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) investigating a drawing on a wall that is revealed to be an image of the DC Comics villain Darkseid. The voice of Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg) can be heard over the footage, and the scene then shifts to Darkseid himself standing in front of his army.
How much did the Snyder Cut cost?
The changes Snyder made for his director’s cut ofJustice Leaguewere initially expected to be both extensive and expensive, with WarnerMedia Chairman Bob Greenblatt suggesting it wouldcost more than $30 millionto bring this new version of the film to the screen. That figure was later reported to be a much-higher $70 million after the visual effects and new footage were added.
Justice Leaguewas already one of the most expensive movies ever made, with a production budget of more than $300 million and a reported break-even point of $750 million (hence it’s status as a “flop” despite earning $657 million worldwide). As a result, there’s no small amount of pressure on the Snyder Cut to prove it was worth the studio’s hefty investment.
How it will be different
According to Snyder, only a quarter of his original work onJustice Leagueended up in the theatrical cut of the film. The Snyder Cut will reportedly restore his original work and add quite a bit more to the story.
This is real.#releasethesnydercut@HBOMaxpic.twitter.com/Cnvupwg48W
— Zack Snyder (@ZackSnyder)July 26, 2025
Adding all of that material is expected to increase the film’s original 120-minute running time significantly, and HBO Max is planning to releaseZack Snyder’s Justice Leagueas a single, extended-length feature.
The finished product will likely feel more akin to Snyder’s grimMan of SteelandBatman v Superman: Dawn of Justicefilms that precededJustice League, with the lighter moments Joss Whedon injected into the project excised from the film. Snyder has indicated thatZack Snyder’s Justice Leaguewill not include any of the material Whedon shot for the theatrical release of the film.
Along those lines, the Snyder Cut is also rumored to end on a bit of a dark note — and possibly a cliffhanger — due to the filmmaker’s original vision forJustice Leagueencompassing a two-part story akin to Marvel Studios’Avengers: Infinity WarandAvengers: Endgame.
Ready for@zacksnyder's JUSTICE LEAGUE on@hbomax? Here's a breakdown of today's huge news 💥https://t.co/oykpWbSNXepic.twitter.com/iTsaYqjHqv
— DC (@DCOfficial)July 27, 2025
Various other rumors and unconfirmed reports have indicated that Snyder’s original plan forJustice Leaguealso involved Green Lantern, the death of Lois Lane, or a variety of other elements that never made it into the theatrical cut of the film. It remains to be seen which (if any) of these plot points are brought to the Snyder Cut.
Will Darkseid appear?
One of the biggest differences between the theatrical cut ofJustice Leagueand the Snyder Cut will involve an appearance by a character that was hinted at throughout the DC Extended Universe films but never fully envisioned on the screen:Darkseid.
He's coming… to HBO Maxpic.twitter.com/tthWwAqzWp
— Zack Snyder (@ZackSnyder)June 22, 2025
In May, Snyder confirmed that DC Comics’ cosmic conquerorwould indeed make an appearancein his version ofJustice League. The infamous villain was initially expected to be the primary antagonist in a secondJustice Leaguefilm, but that project was scuttled after the poor performance of the first film.
Although Snyder didn’t reveal exactly how the character will look inJustice League, the image he posted does offer a nightmarish vision of Darkseid’s plans, with the character appearing against a backdrop of massive war machines on the fractured, molten surface of a planet.
How we got here
Originally envisioned as a two-part finale to the saga that Snyder kicked off with 2013’s Superman franchise rebootMan of Steel, the studio’s plans forJustice Leaguewere derailed when Zack and Deborah Snyder (his wife and producing partner) exited the film in May 2017 due to the death of their daughter.
Joss Whedon, who wrote and directed 2012’sThe Avengers, was brought on to finish the film, and extensive reshoots were scheduled in July 2017 at the cost of an additional $25 million — pushing the movie’s production costs past the $300 million mark.
Justice Leaguehit theaters in November 2017, and despite featuring some of the most iconic superheroes in the world in Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman, the film was met with disappointing returns at the box office and poor reviews from both professional critics and general audiences.Justice Leaguebecame the first film in the DC Extended Universe to fail to cross $100 million its opening weekend, and went on to become one of the lowest-grossing films in the DCEU both domestically and worldwide.
Critically, the film underperformed with reviewers nearly as much as it did with audiences, receiving just 40% positive reviews — making it one of theworst-reviewed films in the DCEU(afterSuicide SquadandBatman v Superman: Dawn of Justice).
Although Zack Snyder’s two prior DCEU films (Man of SteelandBatman v Superman) both received negative reviews, fans of the franchise were quick to blame Whedon and Warner Bros. Pictures forJustice League‘s failings. Acampaign to release a director’s cut of the filmbegan almost immediately, with supporters using the hashtag “#ReleaseTheSnyderCut.” The campaign gained momentum as supporters engaged in aggressive fan activism to convince the studio to consider releasing a recut version of the movie.
As the #ReleaseTheSnyderCut movement gained traction, it also generated significant criticism for some of its supporters’ use of aggressive threats and cyberbullying to advance the campaign. DC Entertainment President Diane Nelson was among those the campaigntargeted with coordinated harassment, forcing her off Twitter, while entertainment journalists who voiced any negative assessment of the film — particularly women — weresimilarly targeted.
In the following years, Snyder and theJustice Leaguecast and creative team continued to fuel the campaign, dropping hints that a director’s cut of the film exists and encouraging supporters to demand its release. Despite the #ReleaseTheSnyderCut campaign’s questionable tactics, supporters were rewarded in May 2020 when Snyder officially announced that his version of the film would indeed be released.
WarnerMedia and HBO Max then confirmed Snyder’s announcement, indicating that the Snyder Cut ofJustice Leaguewould debut on the streaming service in 2021.
