Joss Whedon Takes Over Director Duties for Justice League After Zack Snyder’s Departure

Big news for fans of Justice League as Zack Snyder has officially stepped down as director for the film on account of him mourning the death of his daughter Autumn Snyder last March. ‘Avengers’ director and ‘Buffy’ creator Joss Whedon steps up as replacement.

Zack and Deborah Snyder (The Hollywood Reporter)

Snyder:

I’ve decided to take a step back from the movie to be with my family, be with my kids, who really need me.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Snyder says he is taking a break from directing the mega-pic which stars Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot, Henry Cavill, Jason Momoa, Ray Fisher and Ezra Miller in order to be with his family and heal.

Snyder’s daughter Autumn Snyder died by suicide at the age of 20 last March. The family had kept the death private. It was private that only a small inner circle knew that this had actually transpired. It does give reason why ‘Justice League’ took a 2-week break from production. In his interview with THR he says:

“In my mind, I thought it was a cathartic thing to go back to work, to just bury myself and see if that was the way through it,” said 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.”

Warner Bros. Pictures president Toby Emmerich says:

What they are going through is unimaginable, and my heart — our hearts — go out to them

So where does Joss Whedon fit into all of this?

According to reports, Snyder saw a rough cut of “Justice League” with a few friends and select filmmakers and wanted to add in additional scenes. He taps Joss Whedon to write those additional scenes. He then realize that shooting additional scenes would mean he had to fly back to London to shoot those scenes, which at his current emotional state he couldn’t. He also couldn’t leave his family in this situation. Zack’s wife and JL producer Deborah Snyder has also stepped down from her post to be with the family.

The reshoots won’t be drastic as what happened to ‘Suicide Squad’ but will be there to help flesh out characters according to the report. From this point on, Whedon will direct the remaining additional scenes abroad AND manage the final cut for the film minus Snyder.

Toby Emmerich adds:

We’re not introducing any new characters. It’s the same characters in some new scenes. He’s handing the 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.

We here at thefanboyseo.com wish them a speedy recover and condolences for the Snyder family’s loss.