Zack Snyder is pushing for his version of misguided reshoots helmed by Joss Whedon – fans have been clamouring for Snyder's original vision. The news that such wishes will be fulfilled in 2021 has caused quite a stir, and anticipation for the Justice League Snyder Cut is almost as high as for the original theatrical release.
Thus far there's been no shortage of teases from Snyder, who promises a version of Justice League significantly different from the 2017 cut. Aside from fundamentally changing the story, re-instating Darkseid as a villain, and promising to finally deliver a black-suited Superman, Snyder has also revealed that his cut of the movie will be released in the original 1:43:1 IMAX aspect ratio he intended (before Whedon took over and chopped everything back down to the standard widescreen format).
But one thing that's remained unconfirmed is just exactly what the movie will be called. The "Justice League Snyder Cut" has sufficed as a placeholder among fans thus far, but it seems the actual title could be a little more lofty if Snyder has his way. The director wants the HBO Max version of the movie – which could be released in a miniseries format – to be titled "Zack Snyder's Justice League". Usually, such a move would seem more than a little vain, but in the case of Justice League and its widely-publicised directorial issues, Snyder's choice of title makes a lot of sense. Unfortunately, just like with all things related to this movie, it might not be all that simple.
Zack Snyder Wants to Call the Snyder Cut "Zack Snyder's Justice League"
For a long time, the fan-led campaign to release Snyder's version of Justice League referred to the film colloquially as the "Synder Cut". But back in December 2019, just weeks after confirming his cut of the movie existed, the director released a hoodie to benefit the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, and emblazoned the title "Zack Snyder's Justice League" across the chest, appearing to confirm the film's official name.
Then, in May of 2020, it was announced the Man of Steel on the Vero social media platform. During a post-movie Q&A, the director responded to a question about his cut of Justice League by announcing that "Zack Snyder's Justice League" would be coming to HBO Max. He also posted the first teaser poster for the project on Twitter, complete with the vanity title – once again, seemingly confirming the movie had been officially named.
But once the inaugural fan-led JusticeCon rolled around in July of 2020, Snyder threw doubt on the final name of his long-awaited cut. During a with the virtual event's organisers, the director responded to a question about the title by saying "it's the name that we all want. It's the name we are working on. It's legal reasons that restrict it, but we're trying to work that out." As it stands, then, the name of the project is yet to be finalized, but Snyder did reveal that the final title will be announced at the DC FanDome event on August 22nd.
Vanity Titles Are Complicated
Including the director's name in the actual title of a film is a fairly rare occurrence and there are numerous reasons why. In fact, the so-called "possessory" or "vanity" credit, which usually appears as "a film by..." appended to the title, has been the cause of much controversy in Hollywood for over a century. Rather than a simple director credit, the "a film by" formulation implies more ownership over the project, evoking an auteurial approach that champions the director's contributions. Some directors have gone further, and much like Snyder is hoping to do with his version of Justice League, placed their name before the movie's title – think "Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho". Unsurprisingly, such "vanity" credits have been met with sustained criticism from those who point out the potential for diminishing the substantial efforts of the hundreds of other crew that work on movies and undermining the collaborative effort that brings projects to the screen.
The Writers Guild has been at odds with The Directors Guild over the issue since the 1960s. The DGA has since issued guidance on the topic, updating it most recently in 2004. Under the guidelines, directors are able to "negotiate freely" for their credit with the studio, though the guild makes clear that first-time directors should not be given the credit unless they "brought the property that was the basis for the film to the studio and provided substantial services to its development."
In the case of "Zack Snyder's Justice League", the director is hoping to go full Hitchcock, taking a step beyond the traditional "possessory" credit to a full-on ownership stamp of a name. "Zack Snyder's Justice League" would certainly make clear whose vision audiences were seeing, but it may prove controversial within the industry. Obviously Snyder is far from a first-time director, so he's technically free to negotiate with Warner Bros. for the vanity credit. But it seems he could run into some tougher problems of the legal kind.
Why There Might Be Legal Issues With Zack Snyder's Justice League
Snyder's reference to "legal reasons" at JusticeCon was frustratingly uninformative but the most obvious issues he's likely to encounter relates to Intellectual Property law. Naturally, the trademark for Justice League is owned by DC, and the name "Zack Snyder's Justice League" could be seen to indicate ownership over the term "Justice League", thereby infringing on DC's trademark. Of course, along with Warner, DC is behind the film in the first place so it seems reasonable to expect some sort of allowance could be made for Snyder. It's not like the director is putting out a movie featuring Batman and Superman and calling it "Zack Snyder's Avengers".
What's more, Snyder clearly has a case that the use of his name in the title indicates differentiation rather than ownership. The Whedon reshoots on Justice League, and the ensuing problems they caused for the theatrical cut have been a very public affair, and Snyder could make a solid case that adding his name to the title would be an effective method of differentiating his cut from the 2017 version. That said, the intricacies of IP law will no doubt make things more complex, and so fans will have to wait for DC FanDome to see whether any legal concerns force a last-minute name change.
Aside from actual legal issues, the Directors Guild could become involved if the aforementioned controversy over vanity titles rears its head. The Guild governs a lot of directors' privileges and would likely have something to say about the potential for Snyder's name in the title to overshadow the work of the rest of the film's crew. Such a case would be governed by internal arbitration, likely through the Guild, who would determine whether or not Snyder's name is both relevant to the content of the movie and useful in of its marketing. Considering the high-profile campaign to bring the "Snyder Cut" to fruition, it's likely the director will once again have a strong case that his name is not only relevant to this version of the movie, but is also a significant marketing tool for HBO and Warner – especially considering his revelation during JusticeCon that the anniversary Twitter event on November 17, 2019 generated more mentions for the "Snyder Cut" than any Warner movie in history.
Why "Zack Snyder's Justice League" Is the Right Name
Despite Snyder being the credited director on Justice League, it's common knowledge that this was more a courtesy than an accurate credit. Snyder did not direct many scenes in the Suicide Squad, there was clearly an original vision for Justice League lurking somewhere beneath the theatrical cut's reworked, re-edited, and reshot scenes. Naming the HBO Max version "Zack Snyder's Justice League" acknowledges the restoration of that vision while simultaneously acknowledging Snyder as its custodian. By including the director's name, it also recognizes the long-running "release the Snyder cut" campaign that helped bring the project to fruition.
