Now that Zack Snyder's version of Snyder retained the director credit, Joss Whedon helped rewrite and reshoot Justice League so it aligned better with what executives at Warner Bros. wanted. But, the changes to Snyder's vision sparked fans to create a movement in an effort for the "Snyder Cut" of Justice League to be released.
After over two years of fan campaigns and teases from Snyder, the director will finally be able to complete his version of Justice League. It was announced that release format is undetermined. It could arrive on HBO Max as a four-hour movie or a limited series divided into multiple episodes. Either way, Zack Snyder's Justice League is confirmed to be on the way and is the source of excitement for many, but Snyder had bigger plans.
As the creator of what would eventually be unofficially called the DC Extended Universe, Snyder had a larger plan for this universe beyond Justice League. He's repeatedly mentioned his Zack Snyder's Justice League begs an obvious question: could Justice League 2 still happen?
Justice League 2 Was Part Of The Original DCEU Plan
The original announcement for Justice League 2 came in the fall of 2014 when Warner Bros. announced a sprawling slate of DC movies through 2020. At the time, the hopes for the DCEU expanded beyond Snyder's original plan, with solo films for Flash, Aquaman, Wonder Woman, Batman, Cyborg, and Green Lantern announced. But, it was also revealed that Justice League 2 - originally unveiled as Justice League Part 2 - would hit theaters in June of 2019. Snyder was confirmed to be the director of the sequel, which was scheduled to hit theaters less than two years after Justice League Part 1.
Although Justice League 2 was set to end with the death of Batman as part of the climactic battle against Darkseid.
Justice League 2 Was Canceled After Batman v Superman
The plans for Justice League 2 fit a 2-hour runtime but also so Justice League would standalone as its own story. Snyder and Chris Terrio rewrote the original script before filming began, while Geoff Johns helped rewrite the script again on-set, and later orchestrated additional changes from a writer's room. Reducing the amount of sequel set up was a big part of these rewrites and eventual reshoots, and began a lack of movement on Justice League 2.
In late 2016, it was revealed that Snyder decided not to direct Justice League 2 anymore, as it started to become clear that Snyder and WB had different visions for Justice League and the DCEU's future.
When Screen Rant visited the set of Justice League in early 2016, producer Deborah Snyder maintained that Justice League was not the first part of a two-part movie. At the same time, Zack teased that his Justice League did tease where the next film would go, but that didn't pan out. And even though Justice League 2 still had a release date at this time, the later announcements of it being pushed back only tried to hide the fact that Justice League 2 was not happening - especially in the way Snyder originally intended.
Justice League 2 Was Teased In Lex Luthor's Credits Scene
The changes made to Justice League did eliminate any set up for Darkseid's role in Justice League 2, but the theatrical cut's post-credits scene did still help tease a sequel - just not the one Snyder planned. The scene saw Deathstroke visit Lex Luthor on a yacht and was directed by Snyder while he was still involved with the film. However, part of the Deathstroke/Lex scene was reshot by Whedon to include the set up for the bad guys to form "a league of our own" so seeds for the Legion of Doom could be planted.
What Snyder planned to do after the debut of Deathstroke isn't entirely clear. Ben Affleck was the one who first revealed test footage of the suit, with reports later revealing that Deathstroke was set to play a role in The Batman. It's likely Deathstroke was being set up for a confrontation in Ben Affleck's The Batman, which is no longer happening (although if the Snyder Cut can be released, who knows).
While Deathstroke may not have been directly involved in setting up Justice League 2, Lex Luthor would have had a significant role in Snyder's plan. His ending in Batman v Superman declaring "the that would lead to Steppenwolf/Darkseid's invasion of Earth in Justice League, so him being free again (after Batman sent him to Arkham) could've set Lex up for a larger role in Justice League 2.
Does The Snyder Cut Make Justice League 2 Possible?
Every detail of Snyder's plan for Justice League 2 might not be known to the public (or even to him as no writer was ever hired to develop a screenplay), but it is clear that the broad strokes of the story are in place. All of the changes made to Justice League for the theatrical cut all but eliminated the hope that Snyder's Justice League 2 story would ever get told. The announcement that Zack Snyder's Justice League is coming to HBO Max changes this, though, as it is at least possible that the story could continue now.
Without the release of Snyder's original version of Justice League, whether or not his plans for Justice League 2 could pan out would not even be a discussion. Even now, it still appears to be a pipe dream that it could happen, but many said the same thing about the possibility of the Snyder Cut coming out for over two years. The chances of Snyder telling his Justice League 2 story rests entirely on the reception and success of his cut of the first film now. If his Justice League is a massive hit for HBO Max, then they should at least consider what it would take to continue it.
Producing Justice League 2 would undoubtedly be a big commitment for HBO Max financially. Finishing Justice League will reportedly cost them $20-30 million alone, and it is difficult to imagine the budget for Justice League 2 would be anything less than $150M. Getting the cast back together could be another hurdle it would have to overcome, especially as Gal Gadot and Jason Momoa carry sequels to successful franchises that are only loosely connected to Snyder's story. As the streaming wars continue to heat up, though, the likelihood that Zack Snyder's Justice League will be a heavily viewed piece of original content for HBO Max at least makes the chances of Justice League 2 happening in some form possible.
