Zack Snyder Steps Down from JUSTICE LEAGUE as Joss Whedon Takes Over Post-Production
Zack Snyder tells
The Hollywood Reporter he is stepping away from
Justice League, Warner Bros.’ all-star DC Comics superhero mega-movie that is in post-production, in order to deal with the sudden death of his daughter. Snyder's wife, Deborah Snyder, who is a producer on
Justice League, also is taking a break to focus on the healing of their family.
Stepping in to shepherd the movie through post and the shooting of some additional scenes will be Joss Whedon, the
Avengers filmmaker and creator of
Buffy the Vampire Slayer. With Whedon's help, the movie is still on track for its Nov. 17 release date.
Snyder’s daughter, Autumn Snyder, died by suicide in March at age 20. Her death has been kept private, with only a small inner circle aware of what happened, even as the movie was put on a two-week break for the Snyders to deal with the immediate effects of the tragedy. Zack Snyder says he initially was eager to return to the film, which stars Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot, Jason Momoa and Ezra Miller.
“In my mind, I thought it was a cathartic thing to go back to work, to just bury myself and see if that was way through it,” says an emotional Snyder in an interview Monday in his office on the Warner Bros. lot with Deborah sitting by his side. “The demands of this job are pretty intense. It is all consuming. And in the last two months I’ve come to the realization …I’ve decided to take a step back from the movie to be with my family, be with my kids, who really need me. They are all having a hard time.
I’m having a hard time.”
The studio is fully behind the move. “What they are going through is unimaginable, and my heart — our hearts — go out to them, says Warner Bros. Pictures president Toby Emmerich.
One of the first things the studio floated was the possibility of pushing back the release date of the movie, but the Snyders decided against that suggestion. Warners also extended Snyder's first-look deal to give him time to work on other planned projects when he returns to work.
Snyder, after screening a rough cut of
Justice League for fellow filmmakers and friends, wanted to add additional scenes, so he brought Whedon on board to write them. But as he prepared to shoot the scenes in England, Snyder realized it was not the time to leave home. “The directing is minimal and it has to adhere to the style and tone and the template that Zack set,” says Emmerich. “We’re not introducing any new characters. It’s the same characters in some new scenes. He’s handing a baton to Joss but the course has really been set by Zack. I still believe that despite this tragedy, we’ll still end up with a great movie.”
The death of Autumn, Zack's daughter from his first marriage (in addition to Autumn, he and Deborah have been raising seven kids and step-kids) has brought a new perspective and a new focus for him. “I want the movie to be amazing and I’m a fan, but that all pales pretty quickly in comparison," he says. “I know the fans are going to be worried about the movie but there are seven other kids that need me,” he says. “ In the end, it’s just a movie. It’s a great movie. But it’s just a movie.
Autumn, who was attending Sarah Lawrence College, loved “to write, to write, to write,” says Deborah. Their daughter had written a sci-fi fantasy novel in the first person. It featured a character who was an outsider and who had trouble fitting in.
Zack Snyder Steps Down From 'Justice League' to Deal with Family Tragedy, Joss Whedon Takes Over Post-Production