Justice League has had a rough time. After the divisive response to Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, the film went into production with the assumption that it was going to be a surefire hit. Then, reactions to Suicide Squad were equally mixed-to-negative and Justice League started to feel like a movie very few people wanted. With Wonder Woman around the corner, you have to ponder what Warner Bros./DC Films is thinking about Justice League.
Well, if a fairly believable rumor is to be believed, they have been rethinking Justice League quite a bit…
Reshoots, Reshoots, Reshoots
According to a source claiming to be close to the production, the amount of reshoots that Justice League has been undergoing has been so extensive that the film has practically been remade twice over. Add to that the fact that Ben Affleck had on-the-spot rewrites happening when he arrived on the set. Even more disconcerting is that the source says there are even more reshoots planned.
It’s clear that Justice League is suffering a big identity crisis (appropriate). The entire DC Extended Universe feels like it’s trying to course-correct. When Joss Whedon was announced as helming a Batgirl film, fans celebrated as if a new day was coming. Creative director Geoff Johns has been adamant about bringing hope back to the DC universe. It’s possible that this change in direction has everything to do with one individual: Zack Snyder.
The Wrong Man for the Job
Snyder is certainly a talented filmmaker. That’s not the problem. The issue with Snyder is that he doesn’t seem to “get” superheroes. His take on the world has always been very stoic and self-serious. His films lack a lot of fun both on the script and in their visual execution. Yet, he’s been the unofficial godfather of this DC film universe. All other directors have had to play in his sandbox.
Perhaps that’s changing. Word on the street is that Snyder is done with DC after Justice League. The general appraisal of the films up until now has not been overwhelmingly positive. DC wants to change their image, and it sounds like they are trying to do that as best as they can with Justice League.
Maybe all this reconfiguration will be for the best. We won’t know until the film hits theaters on November 17. Let’s hope for the best.
