‘Justice League’ Has an Official Running Time and It’s Got Us Concerned

Drew Dietsch
Movies DC
Movies DC

The story of Justice League‘s journey to the big screen is a tumultuous one. And now, we have another piece of the puzzle that might have some fans excited while others might be worried.

The official running time for Justice League is going to be 121 minutes. That is a lot shorter than previous reports. An early rumor had the film close to 170 minutes. That would have made it the longest entry in the DC Extended Universe film series.

Instead, Justice League is the shortest film in the entire DC Extended Universe, clocking in two minutes under Suicide Squad. And that brings up some important questions.

What Are We Losing?

It’s clear that Joss Whedon’s addition to the project changed the entire picture. Zack Snyder decided to step away in order to deal with a family tragedy. Whedon was scheduled for a number of reshoots, but he is also responsible for the last leg of post-production in general.

With that, we’ve got a few subtractions to the film. The big minuses involve trimming and lightening up Cyborg‘s characterization and possibly cutting Lex Luthor from the film. Whether those changes will make it to the final cut remains to be seen, but with such a drastic amount of film being discarded for the theatrical version, it’s very likely that some characters are going to get the short shrift.

What Are We Gaining?

However, the reshoots do mean that we’re getting more Wonder Woman in the film. The success of Wonder Woman is a fantastic thing and it’s led to a lot more of the Amazonian warrior in the final cut of Justice League. If her character is utilized well in the film, then we are all going to benefit.

And, to be frank, I’m happy about the shorter running time. The DC Extended Universe movies have all fallen victim to some bloated editing. In fact, a lot of superhero cinema is guilty of being overlong. A shorter, more concise story and pace could get things back on track for the DC Extended Universe.

We’re still fairly in the dark about a lot of Justice League, but this running time does give us some idea of what’s in store. We’ll know everything when the film opens in theaters on November 17.

Drew Dietsch
Drew Dietsch has been professionally writing about entertainment for over a decade. His bylines include FANDOM - where he was a founding contributor and Entertainment Editor - Bloody Disgusting, SYFY WIRE, and more. He created and hosts GenreVision, a weekly film discussion show at genrevision.com.