It was announced today that director Joss Whedon will wrap up work on the upcoming DC film Justice League. Director Zack Snyder sadly had to step down after the tragic suicide of his daughter Autumn. While she passed away in March, the family chose not to release the information to the public and Snyder attempted to continue work on the film. However, in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Snyder said that he needed to take time to heal with his family:
“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.”
Whedon agreed to take over the project to keep it on track for its November 17 release date. The filming is done, so Whedon will be taking over the post-production process, i.e. putting the film together and adding all the digital special effects. How much say Whedon has in the final product is unclear.
There have been rumors of reshoots, just like there were with Suicide Squad, but what, if any, changes there are have not been discussed. According to producer Charles Roven, there will be some additional photography but it’s been tricky to schedule because many of the main actors are now doing filming for other projects so none of it has been completed yet, which is likely why a replacement director was called in.
It is always difficult when a director has to step down, especially when it is for reasons as tragic as a death in the family. Our deepest condolences go out to the Snyder family.
