It’s time once again, DC fans to discuss the Snyder Cut ofJustice League. In this case, we’re looking at it from the perspective of cinematographer Fabian Wagner, who worked with director Zack Snyder on the movie before Joss Whedon was brought in to do major reshoots and overhaul the final product. As it just so happens, Wagner isn’t a fan of the theatrical cut, so much so that it apparently made him cry.
Fabian Wagner was recently interviewed and, naturally, the subject ofJustice Leaguecame up. Wagner has worked on plenty of other noteworthy projects, such asGame of ThronesandOverlord, but it’s his work in the DC universe alongside Zack Snyder that remains arguably the most fascinating. During his recent chat, Wagner revealed that he has seen the theatrically released cut, but he wasn’t exactly a fan. Here’s what he had to say about it.
“It’s really hard to say because I was watching it and I think I was crying all the way through. So it’s hard for me to say exactly how much was changed, but a lot was changed. It looked very different, and it’s sad for me because I loved working with Zack; I had the best time of my life. There were many other things on that movie that made it so good apart from the fact that I was working with Zack and the whole gang. I met my wife on that job. There [were] a lot of other things. It was just a great shoot, and so it was a shame to see the film the way it turned out to be.”
At this point, it’s not news to hear anyone say that a lot was changed after Zack Snyder departed the project. The response toBatman v Superman: Dawn of Justicegave Warner Bros. cold feet. Unfortunately for them, theJustice Leagueshoot took place very shortly after that movie’s release, so the train was already barreling down the tracks. That led to a clash in vision behind the scenes. Ultimately,Snyder left and Joss Whedon came in to finish the movie. What we got was a Frankentstein’s monster that represents two very different versions of a story.
In the nearly two years sinceJustice Leaguewas released, the so-calledSnyder cuthas become something of a White Whale for certain DC fans. By many accounts, a cut of Snyder’s movie does exist. But it’s not finished and still needs a lot of work to be theater ready. While many fans have taken to saying “release the Snyder cut,” Warner Bros. simply isn’t going to invest the resources to make that happen.
With that, Fabian Wagner and others may have more tears to shed. Some, such as Kevin Smith, have argued that releasing Zack Snyder’s unfinished assembly cut would be worth doing. But Warner Bros. is looking toward the future with DC Films, not into the past. Point being, no matter how much better the original version ofJustice Leagueallegedly is, we’re probably never going to see it. Feel free to check out the full interview with Wagner from the Comic Book Debate YouTube channel below.
