Justice League: Joss Whedon Replaces Zack Snyder After Family Tragedy
Tributes to Snyder's family flood in after announcement of time off.
Justice League is in the hands of Avengers director Joss Whedon for the final stages of production (including the additional scenes that were planned to be added after the first rough cut screening) after family tragedy compelled Zack Snyder to step down from the movie.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Snyder announced that he would be stepping away from the production after the death of his daughter, who took her own life in March.
“In my mind, I thought it was a cathartic thing to go back to work, to just bury myself and see if that was way through it, The demands of this job are pretty intense. It is all consuming. And in the last two months, I’ve come to the realization …I’ve decided to take a step back from the movie to be with my family, be with my kids, who really need me. They are all having a hard time. I’m having a hard time.”
"Here’s the thing, I never planned to make this public, I thought it would just be in the family, a private matter, our private sorrow that we would deal with. When it became obvious that I need to take a break, I knew there would be narratives created on the internet. They’ll do what they do. The truth it…I’m past caring about that kind of thing now.”
"I want the movie to be amazing and I’m a fan, but that all pales pretty quickly in comparison. I know the fans are going to be worried about the movie but there are seven other kids that need me. In the end, it’s just a movie. It’s a great movie. But it’s just a movie."
Whedon will now take charge of the additional scenes, which he has written and will direct on a shoot in London this summer. There is currently no delay on the film's release planned, as Toby Emmerich confirmed in a statement:
“The directing is minimal and it has to adhere to the style and tone and the template that Zack set. We’re not introducing any new characters. It’s the same characters in some new scenes. He’s handing a baton to Joss but the course has really been set by Zack. I still believe that despite this tragedy, we’ll still end up with a great movie.”
In the wake of his announcement, Snyder's colleagues and others in the industry - including Geoff Johns, Jim Lee, Patty Jenkins, Kevin Smith, and James Wan - have offered their support.