Looks Like Justice League’s Snyder Cut Is Changing Up Its HBO Max Release Plans

After years of hoping and campaigning, fans are finally on the cusp of getting the fabled Snyder Cut of Justice League. Zack Snyder’s vision for the DC Extended Universe’s ensemble film is slated to see the light of day on HBO Max this year, and the reported plan was for the alternate cut to be released in four, hour-long installments and dropped on the streamer. However, Zack Snyder has now indicated that the Snyder Cut’s release plans will be a bit different.

Zack Snyder took to Vero to give fans an update about his progress on the Snyder Cut a.k.a. Zack Snyder’s Justice League. Fans then took to the comments section to ask questions, hoping that the filmmaker would answer. One fan asked Snyder whether the cut would be released as “a series” or “a one shot watch of a movie.” To this, Snyder simply replied, “One shot.”

So it would seem that the Snyder Cut is now opting for a single release, which would make for a four-hour, feature film. Zack Snyder has proven to be a major cinema fan, and there’s a good chance that he couldn’t pass up the opportunity to release the cut as a single piece of work. The film’s four-hour runtime will officially make it the longest-running superhero film. This actually tops Snyder’s own director’s cut of Watchmen, which clocks in at three hours.

Given these new plans, it’ll be interesting to see how fans choose to consume Zack Snyder’s Justice League. Many fans are likely to sit through and watch the entire film in a single sitting. However, there are some who may want to digest it differently and opt to do so by breaking it down by hour.

Now that the Snyder Cut’s official release strategy has been revealed, fans will likely want to know one key detail next -- the release date. Despite shutting down rumors, HBO Max has mostly played coy when it comes to announcing an official date. One exec has only gone as far as to say that the film will arrive sometime between “early and mid-2021.”

The film’s marketing campaign has been relatively low-key thus far, aside from the trailers that have been released. However, this is likely to change soon, as Snyder recently revealed that things are set to ramp up as soon as the buzz around Wonder Woman 1984 simmers down.

Fans are sure to be delighted by the fact that the Snyder Cut is officially a film. One also can’t help but view this as further evidence that the film could get the big-screen treatment at some point. That remains to be seen but, at the very least, Zack Snyder’s original version of Justice League will be available in a somewhat theatrical way.

Keep it here at CinemaBlend for more updates on the Snyder Cut and for other news from the world of movies and TV.

Erik Swann
Senior Content Producer

Erik Swann is a Senior Content Producer at CinemaBlend. He began working with the publication in 2020 when he was hired as Weekend Editor. Today, he continues to write, edit and handle social media responsibilities over the weekend. On weekdays, he also writes TV and movie-related news and helps out with editing and social media as needed. He graduated from the University of Maryland, where he received a degree in Broadcast Journalism. After shifting into multi-platform journalism, he started working as a freelance writer and editor before joining CB. Covers superheroes, sci-fi, comedy, and almost anything else in film and TV. He eats more pizza than the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.