Justice Leagueis a big movie for Warner Bros. The studio has tried to kind of reverse-engineer its own interconnected universe at an accelerated pace, jumping straight intoBatman v Superman: Dawn of JusticeafterMan of Steel—instead of a Superman sequel, they made a movie that featured Batman, Wonder Woman, and Superman all together. This summer’sWonder Womanwas an unabashed success both critically and commercially, and so now the studio’s big team-up movie hopes to keep that goodwill alive after poor critical response toBatman v SupermanandSuicide Squad.
ButJustice Leaguehas been plagued by rumors of troubles ever since it began shooting. Indeed, filming began only a month afterBatman v Supermanhit theaters, and reports suggested that Warner Bros. was worrying that the dark and gritty tone ofBvSmay not be the best way forward for the DC Extended Universe—despite the fact thatJustice Leaguestarted filming under the assumption everyone would loveBvS. Reshoots were always planned, but directorZack Snyderwas forced to exit the film earlier this year to tend to unfortunate family matters, at which pointJoss Whedoncame on to bringJustice Leagueacross the finish line.
Whedon, who was already involved in helping script some of the reshoots, was now tasked withdirectingthese reshoots,which were reportedly quite significant. And now in speaking withEW, Batman himselfBen Affleckhas spoken up about the experience of making a movie that has two different directors:
“It’s a little bit unorthodox. Zack had a family tragedy, and stepped off, which was horrible. For the movie, the best person we could’ve possibly found was Joss. We got really lucky that he stepped in.” Affleck, who helmed the Best Picture-winningArgo, describes the resulting film as “an interesting product of two directors, both with kind of unique visions, both with really strong takes. I’ve never had that experience before making a movie. I have to say, I really love working with Zack, and I really love the stuff we’ve done with Joss.”
As for the extent of the reshoots, Affleck downplayed their significance by pointing out thatArgoandGone Baby Goneboth had days of reshoots, but the scale of thisJustice Leagueadditional photography—not to mention Affleck’s aforementioned comments—seems to suggest there’s more than just nipping and tucking going on.
Regardless, Affleck seems pleased with how the film and the DCEU as a whole are turning out while also seemingly admitting thatBvSfell short of his own expectations:
“This is a really nice time to work in DC. They’re hitting their stride. They’re getting it right. It’s starting to feel like it’s really working.”
That “it’s starting to” line would suggest Affleck maybe wasn’t thrilled withBatman v Supermanand/orSuicide Squad, but no one can deny thatWonder Womanwas a huge boon for the DCEU and looks to be showing the way forward. Given this tonal shift and the dual directors, watchingJustice Leagueshould be a fascinating experience come the film’s November 17th release.
