Kevin Smith says Justice League Zack Snyder cut is real... but it's not what you think

By Rachel Yang 

It looks like Kevin Smith is adding fuel to the fire that is the “Snyder Cut.” Fans have long surmised that there is a director’s cut of the widely panned Justice League film, which was finished by director Joss Whedon after Snyder departed during production.

Smith said that he believes the mythical Snyder Cut actually exists, although his theory may not please diehard fans hoping for a fully formed alternate version. Speaking on CinemaBlend’s “ReelBlend” podcast, Smith said Snyder’s vision likely exists as raw footage, as opposed to a “finished movie.”

“There is a Snyder cut. For sure. That’s not a mythical beast. It exists. Now, it’s not a finished movie by any stretch of the imagination,” Smith said. “The ‘Snyder Cut’ that, again I haven’t seen, but the one I’ve heard everyone speak of was never a finished film. It was a movie that people in production could watch and fill in the blanks. It was certainly not meant for mass consumption.”

Smith added that from what he’s heard, much of the unseen work includes green screen as the visual effects were never finished.

Smith also said he believes that the studio is reluctant to air Snyder’s footage because it assumes fans wouldn’t be able to make sense of it. “No studio has said this to me, but I would assume that they’re like, ‘We can’t show people this. Yes, there is a Snyder Cut, but no audience would be able to look at this and see what the director’s intent was,’” Smith said. “But I think the audience now, particularly the audience that would consume the Snyder Cut and discuss it at great length, can watch a workprint. They can watch a work-in-progress and fill in the blanks in their heads.”

In 2017, Snyder announced he had to step away from helming Justice League following his daughter’s death. Whedon was then brought in for reshoots and tweaks. The Warner Bros. movie premiered to discouraging reviews and reportedly lost the studio about $60 million, as it was one of the most expensive films ever made.

Many people felt the project boasted too much promise and a roster of talented stars like Gal Gadot and Henry Cavill to be wasted in a film mired by production hurdles and studio nonsense. Thus, DC fans — Jason Momoa included — have long been clamoring to see Snyder’s original vision. Perhaps Smith’s comments will give fans a bit more hope, even if it means watching a less glossy form of the film.