But how could that be possible?
The DCEU may have been thrown out with the bathwater, but Zack Snyder is not so easily deterred. The filmmaker hinted to Empire Magazine that plans for continuing The Justice League franchise are not entirely off the table. At one time, Snyder put his visually immersive style to good use in the gritty DC films. He pitted Batman (Ben Affleck) and Superman (Henry Cavill) against each other in one of the most bombastic films known to man. But when The Justice League rolled around, the franchise lost solid ground. Snyder voluntarily left the project after a family tragedy leading controversial director, Joss Whedon, to pick up the reins. The results were less than impressive and caused many to advocate for the Snyder Cut.
And while that came to pass, any future plans for the franchise would not. Former Marvel scribe, James Gunn, took over leadership of DC, effectively destroying any hopes of continuing Snyder’s plans for The Justice League. But there may be hope if Snyder is willing to work outside the box. Per Screen Rant, Snyder told Empire that he was open to finishing Justice League 2 and 3 in the medium of animation, saying: “Yeah, absolutely. That’d be fun. That’d be cool.”
This is not a confirmation by any stretch of the imagination, but it is far more realistic than seeing Gal Gadot or Affleck in live-action again. Voicing animated versions of the characters would be a small way to still include their contribution to the series. While some films in the franchise did not test well with audiences, that shouldn’t dismiss the solid work that others have. 2017’s Wonder Woman was a stylistically impressive film that showed Diana as she was meant to be seen. Even if Wonder Woman 3 is not in development, it would be a shame if viewers never saw her again.
Reviving Snyder’s TheJustice League through animation would solve many problems following the change in DC. Though no one is likely to complain that Gunn is making the brand less lazy with more character-driven stories, finishing the series in animation would be a way to please fans of the old universe. In addition to bringing back fan-favorite performers of the characters, there would also be no budget constraints. Snyder could exercise his vision as intended without too much interference.
Snyder could also execute some of his more divisive ideas without upsetting canon. Screen Rant described plans for future films to include the death of Lois Lane. This trauma would affect Superman on a cellular level and lead to the Knightmare future with the Joker featured briefly in the Snyder Cut. Reportedly, the final film in the trilogy would feature an epic battle between the Justice League and Darkseid. If there is still room for Matt Reeves’The Batman in this current era, then an animated version of Snyder’s TheJustice League shouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility. Fans can delve into his artistic integrity by streaming Snyder’s The Justice League on Max.
