Full interview with Filmz.dk

Morten V. Just: Fans of Zack seem convinced that WB one day will release The Snyder Cut of Justice League. How can you be so sure?

Dennis Kirkegaard: As of right now, nobody can be sure of anything. The only thing we know for sure is that we saw a movie change in front of our eyes (there is a noticeable difference in the marketing of Justice League from trailer 1 to trailer 3) both in tone and aesthetics. If you take a general look at Zack’s involvement in the project, there is a good period of six months from when WB announced Zack’s departure on project due to grief over his daughter, until we saw the release of Justice League in theaters. In those 6 months, deep and extensive reshoots of the film took place under WB’s control and with Joss Whedon as director. The result was unrecognizable for the established fanbase and became the DCEU’s biggest financial failure, when it could’ve potentially broken records. Subsequently, CEO Kevin Tsujihara has been outspoken regarding the fact that WB has learned from their mistakes and now know that they can not copy Marvel’s more edible tone. This statement brings hope, but doesm’t solve the problem in relation to the gap between fans and the company. Kevin knows that the only thing that can built the bridge to fans is to see Zack’s vision complete. That’s basically all there is to it at this point, besides rumors based on the current replacement in management of the DCEU, people close to Zack, etc., which are mostly pointing towards something tangible, but would still be considered rumors.

Morten V. Just: Why is it so important?

Dennis Kirkegaard: It is important because, in this case, the treatment of Zack by WB was terrible and mean. He got the job due to his creative vision, but was forced out due to a lack of understanding of it. And in an ugly and inhuman way. Jay Oliva who was the storyboard artist at Batman V Superman has been very active recently on Twitter, trying to defend Zack by giving clarification and answering questions regarding the careful planning of his movies. Even before the release of Batman V Superman, bloggers and critics were responsible for spreading alternative facts and spinning the narrative of the film in a negative direction. When it was announced that Batman and Wonder Woman would make appearances in the movie, Batman V Superman was nothing more than a ‘hasty attempt to reach Avengers’. Jay Oliva, of course, can not say too much and treads carefully, but recently confirmed that Zack showed him his own storyboards while Man of Steel was still in production. Zack’s vision was never meant as an attempt to establish a franchise. It was most likely meant as a single tale throughout 4 movies (Remember when Justice League was officially a 2-parter?). Just like a continuous story from a comic. This was hampered by hasty decisions made by heads at WB, and masked under the misinformation that Zack left the project in sorrow due to his daughter. It is both a struggle for creative freedom in Hollywood and for the misunderstanding of Zack’s vision.

Morten V. Just: Is there a DCEU post Snyder for you?

Dennis Kirkegaard: It depends on the tone and style of the DCEU moving forward (Aquaman and Shazam are in production). Aquaman’s probably going to be the last with Zack’s DNA, but the film is directed by a competent man with a background in horror, so I have high hope that it won’t be a Marvel movie. And that’s the only thing I wish for. Zack is a misunderstood director in my opinion and my personal favorite. I think he was the right one, due to his profound knowledge of the source material, to create a new mythology for DC’s characters by deconstructing them a bit. His vision was (again) misunderstood as a lack of understanding of the essence of the characters, when in truth, that critique only reflects people’s lack of creativity and patience. I’m a fan of everything with superheroes, so of course there is a DCEU after Zack. For me though, a DCEU with Zack was just a perfect marriage. I just don’t have the need to see two competing franchises with similar content, make movies that also carry the same tone and style. As an extreme Superman aficionado, but also with excellent knowledge of the rest of DC’s characters (if I have to say so myself), I believe DC has always emerged as something that has the potential to be performed as more self-conscious and adult than Marvel. Two things Zack understood and refused to compromise with.

Article at:

https://filmz.dk/dansk-dc-fan-kun-zack-snyders-justice-league-kan-bygge-bro-til-fans