‘THE BELL’S BEEN RUNG’
Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman uncovers villainous Darkseid in new Justice League clip
Zack Snyder has given us a glimpse of his alternate version of 2017’s Justice League — and it includes our first look at DC supervillain Darkseid.
Originally intended to be the main antagonist in his original cut, Darkseid was dropped in favour of Steppenwolf after Joss Whedon took over the superhero film following Snyder’s exit due to a family tragedy.
The short trailer for the Snyder Cut of Justice League, due out next year, runs just over 30 seconds and shows Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman uncovering an etching inside a cave before the clip cuts to Darkseid assembling his army.
Jesse Eisenberg’s Lex Luthor narrates the action: “The bell’s already been rung, and they’ve heard it. But in the dark among the stars. Ding-dong. The god is dead.”
Last month, Snyder announced his mythical version of the film will be coming to HBO Max in 2021.
“I want to thank HBO Max and Warner Brothers for this brave gesture of supporting artists and allowing their true visions to be realized. Also a special thank you to all of those involved in the Snyder Cut movement for making this a reality,” Snyder said.
Justice League was DC’s answer to Marvel’s Avengers, culminating in superhero storylines that brought together Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman,
Flash and Cyborg. Snyder had a cut of the film, rumoured to be in the 140-minute range, ready by early 2017, but left the production following a family tragedy.
Avengers director Joss Whedon was brought in to finish filming, but a clash in styles led fans to believe Snyder’s vision — which began with 2013’s Man of Steel and continued in 2016’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice — was compromised.
A planned sequel was shelved and the tumultuous shoot led Ben Affleck to exit a proposed Batman spinoff.
The studio has gone on to pursue standalone movies and sequels involving Wonder Woman and Aquaman, with new stories focusing on Shazam, Harley Quinn and Black Adam.
Jason Momoa, who Snyder cast as Aquaman in Batman v
Superman, wrote on Instagram, “The best part about being Aquaman is that Zack Synder created me so I get to see all this awesome s--before anyone.”
In a 2018 interview with the Sun, Momoa said that Snyder had a very specific vision for how he wanted his multi-film storyline to play out.
“He had it all planned out. He had the plan for Justice League. I really do believe that Cyborg and Wonder Woman, and all that has been shaped, is because of Zack,” Momoa said.
The film will get a refresh with new special effects and a new score. According to The Hollywood Reporter, HBO Max is mulling a four-hour director’s cut or TV-style chapters. The cast of the film have been notified their services may be needed.
In Canada, the finished product will air on Crave.
“It will be an entirely new thing, and, especially talking to those who have seen the released movie, a new experience apart from that movie,” Snyder tells THR. “You probably saw one-fourth of what I did.”