Good news, Zack Snyder’s Justice League will premiere in Asia, the same time as the US on 18 March 2021. The retooled film, which retains the director’s original vision of the story, will be an HBO MAX Original production. However, the film will also premiere concurrently via HBO GO in Asian territories including Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, and Philippines.
For those of you who think that the story is just an extended cut of the original, think again. The film stands to be much more than that as it also includes additional footage. Storyline aside, it will also introduce characters that were not in the original 2017 film. If you need to get up to speed, here is what you need to know about Zack Snyder’s Justice League.
Not A Director’s Cut
In 2017, halfway through filming Justice League, Snyder took a leave of absence to deal with a family tragedy. He later handed the reins to Joss Whedon, who eventually finished the film. The film that came out was critically panned and not the box-office hit Warner Bros. was hoping for.
Eventually some of Snyder’s die-hard fans rallied for the studio to release the original director’s cut of the film. Using #ReleaseTheSnyderCut, the momentum gathered eventually saw the studio relent. Last year, HBO Max stepped up and announced that it would release Snyder’s version of the film in 2021.
Taking it a step further, Zack Snyder’s Justice League would be the director’s original vision of the film. To see this through the director’s eyes would utilise the original reels along with new filmed footage.
It is Four Hours Long
That is the runtime for the film when it premieres on HBO Max and HBO GO on 18 March. The reasons for that are predominantly due to the character and storyline builds for the film. This includes shoring up the story arc for Victor Stone/Cyborg (Ray Fisher) and The Flash/Barry Allen (Ezra Miller).
The original trailer for Justice League showed a sequence where Allen rescues Iris West (Kiersey Clemons) from a car crash. That scene was cut from the theatrical release altogether. The additional post-production work and footage also allowed Snyder to introduce other characters into the film.
The Joker Is Back
As seen in the recent trailer for Zack Snyder’s Justice League, Jared Leto is back as the Joker. Leto portrayed the character in Suicide Squad but was tipped to have a more substantial role in later films. Those plans were scuppered too. The inclusion of the Clown Prince of Crime in what appears to be the “Knightmare” sequence teased in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice suggests that things may not go the heroes’ way in the new film.
Darkseid Is The New Big Bad
The original story saw the Justice League face off and defeat Steppenwolf (Ciaran Hinds). In the new film, the team will have to step up to Darkseid (Ray Porter). DC’s big bad will not only have Steppenwolf by his side but also villains like DeSaad (Peter Guinness). The stakes are decisively raised higher and stacked against the superheroes’ favour, but they will apparently have back-up.
Superman In Black
The Man of Steel had a smaller but significant role in Justice League. But Zack Snyder’s Justice League is teasing to extend that somewhat. The new trailer sees Superman (Henry Cavill) in a new black suit, which closely follows his comic book roots. A previously released deleted scene also showed how Superman acquired the suit in the Fortress of Solitude. Now it would seem that cut scene will have a chance of playing out.
The Whole Gang Is Back (Plus 1)
The original cast of Justice League is back together for the final time for this newly updated film. It will mark Ben Affleck’s final outing as Batman/Bruce Wayne (sans his rumoured involvement in The Flash movie). Fisher is also reportedly finished as Cyborg following his recent outbursts against Warner Bros. Although Gal Gadot and Jason Momoa have secured their roles as Wonder Woman and Aquaman respectively, as well as Miller as The Flash, Cavill has not been confirmed (yet) to return as Superman.
Finally putting the rumours to rest. #SnyderCut #MartianManhunter #JusticeLeague pic.twitter.com/W6AjBsz9Sy
— Harry J. Lennix (@HarryJLennix) January 13, 2021
Zack Snyder’s Justice League is also rumoured to bring in a secret cameo. Many fans speculate it is the reveal of the Martian Manhunter who will be portrayed by Harry Lennix. The actor portrayed General Calvin Swanwick in Man of Steel and Batman v Superman. He recently alluded to playing comic book favourite J’onn J’onzz in the DC films on social media. Although it would be cool to seeing the shapeshifting Martian in Zack Snyder’s Justice League, many (like us) are secretly hoping for a Ryan Reynolds appearance as Hal Jordan/Green Lantern.
We will find out soon enough on 18 March 2021 as Zack Snyder’s Justice League premieres in Asia on HBO GO.