The demand for Zack Snyder’s original version of Justice League, the “Snyder Cut” may be at an all-time high, but Warner Bros. doesn’t sound any closer to announcing a release. When Snyder left the production of Justice League due to a personal tragedy, Joss Whedon was brought in to finish the film. Initial reports stated Whedon only reshot 15%-20% of Snyder’s Justice League. In fact, the reshoots reportedly had almost 80 new script pages. Because of the massive changes, a lack of thematic or story consistency with Snyder’s previous DC films, fans have been clamoring for the Snyder Cut.

Although Snyder’s version was thought to be a rumor by many (despite ample evidence to the contrary), Snyder himself confirmed the existence of the film. The Snyder Cut’s rumored runtime is three hours, which includes a darker, grittier tone like Snyder’s previous films in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU), Man of Steel and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Pivotal storyline changes to Superman and Cyborg have left fans to wonder what could have been if Snyder never left the production. The Snyder Cut has been back in the news thanks to #ReleaseTheSnyderCut trending on social media including posts from a number of big stars including Ben Affleck and Gal Gadot.

Although momentum for the Snyder Cut continues to rise to unheard-of levels, and it seems like an announcement could be just around the corner, conventional still says it’s unlikely that Warner Bros. will ever release the Snyder Cut. Many fans believed the Snyder Cut could be released on Warner Bros. upcoming streaming service, and HBO Max is certainly the most logical place for it to release, however, it was reported that there are no impending announcements related to releasing the Snyder Cut on HBO Max. Furthermore, an unnamed insider even called the release of the Snyder Cut a “pipe dream.”

Releasing the Snyder Cut to a service like HBO Max is not as simple as it seems. While it may be the perfect home, there is still work to be done on the film. Kevin Smith noted that the Snyder Cut is not ready to be released to the public. There are still scenes where the VFX is not complete and more post-production must be done in order to finish the film. A VFX expert stated the Snyder Cut could cost $30-$40 million to complete. Just because there is a public outcry does not mean Warner Bros. will give in. Justice League had a rumored budget of $300 million and grossed a final worldwide box office of under $700 million.

Warner Bros. also may not want to revisit a film that barely doubled its budget. Plus, Justice League disappointed both fans and critics. It’s a near certainty the Snyder Cut will be more well-liked, but with Man of Steel and Batman v Superman both drawing divisive critical responses, Warner Bros. may not feel much pressure to invest in a movie that will almost certainly see a similar response.

The future of the DCEU has also changed since Snyder left Justice League. With the releases of critical and financial successes such as Wonder Woman, Shazam!, and Aquaman, with the latter grossing over $1 billion, fans have enjoyed this lighter, comedic version of the DCEU. With new films like The Batman and Black Adam on the horizon, the DCEU’s future is bright so besides fan service, there’s no real reason to revisit the Snyder Cut.

That’s not to say it will never be seen. A very similar situation happened with Richard Donner’s Superman II, and that ended up seeing the light of day a few decades later, and Donner didn’t even finish as much work as Snyder before leaving and had nowhere near the same level of demand. It seems certain that fans will get some sort of Snyder Cut someday, especially as technology improves and the cost of completing VFX continues to drop.

Given, while conventional wisdom says not to expect that to happen any time soon, we’re also not dealing with a conventional situation. The circumstances of Snyder’s departure and massive support from fans, cast, crew, and a slew of other high profile celebrities is a bit of a curveball. Despite the odds being against them, fans have persisted in their efforts and Snyder himself said not to not give up hope. Miracles of this sort are a rare thing in Hollywood, but they aren’t unheard of. The Snyder Cut probably won’t be released in the near future, but who knows, the streaming market opens all sorts of new possibilities, and some aligning of the planets could still see the Snyder Cut finding its way to WB’s negotiating table.

Next: Justice League: WB’s Attempt To Hide The Snyder Cut Made It Bigger Than Ever

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