Zack Snyder Departs Justice League, Joss Whedon Takes Helm

Zack Snyder has just decided to step down from his directorial duties on “Justice League” after a tragic family issue, forcing Warner Bros. to hand the ship over to Joss Whedon.

Snyder has been one of the pioneers of the DC Extended Universe even before it got that branding. “Man of Steel” and “Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice” were his first DCEU films that got split audience and critical reception. This track record made some people worry about how he would bring “Justice League” on the big screen.

Filming for “Justice League” has wrapped a couple of months ago and post production process is underway (not to mention the upcoming reshoots). Snyder decided to step away as the director for the project, and the circumstances that led to his sudden departure are very tragic.

Zack Snyder Leaves Due To Daughter’s Suicide

The Hollywood Reporter first broke the news about Snyder’s stepping down from “Justice League” to “deal with the loss of his daughter.” Snyder’s daughter committed suicide back in March this year, and the family kept the news from leaking out to mourn in peace. Warner Bros. actually gave Snyder some time to deal with their loss by offering to push “Justice League” back. However, Snyder decided to leave the film altogether, opening the spot for Joss Whedon. Here is Snyder’s official statement:

“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. 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.”

Dealing With Double Losses

This comes as a very difficult time for the Snyder family. The director was planning to push forward and keep on working on “Justice League,” but it’s obvious that he needs to take some time off to heal and focus on his family.

Even though he won’t be around during the re-shoots, it’s still possible that he can rejoin the post production team to work with Whedon on the editing and help him deliver the best that “Justice League” needs to be.

But if that isn’t in the picture, it’s good that DC and Warner Bros has found someone with huge directorial chops for a comic book movie in the form of Joss Whedon. With him helming two of the biggest films in the MCU, we can only imagine what Whedon could be bringing to DC’s flagship superhero team. For now, Snyder will take as much time as he needs to deal with and heal from this absolutely heartbreaking tragedy.