'Aquaman': How Zack Snyder Helped Retcon 'Justice League' Against WB's Wishes

At this point, it's safe to say that Justice League was a major disappointment for DC Comics' [...]

At this point, it's safe to say that Justice League was a major disappointment for DC Comics' cinematic universe, especially after the massive success of Aquaman.

Between Zack Snyder's original vision of the team-up film and Joss Whedon's studio-mandated interference, there were a lot of changes made to Arthur Curry that Aquaman director James Wan wasn't thrilled with. And apparently, he recruited Snyder against Warner Bros. wishes to help reverse the damage for the character's solo movie.

All of this information comes from Neil Daly, who was responsible for the test screenings for both Justice League and Aquaman before the films premiered in theaters. Daly appeared on the Fire and Water Podcast, saying that Whedon was responsible for the "teenage boy sexual humor" in Justice League that saw Aquaman and others being a little creepy.

Thankfully, Wan wanted to take the rightful King of Atlantis in a different direction.

"We could have gotten a whole movie about Aquaman basically fawning over Mera the whole time and making all kinds of dirty jokes and things like that and they really had to get away from that, which is all what Whedon had done, so Snyder had a little bit of an influence on Aquaman," said Daly. "James Wan was showing Zack Snyder - against the studio's wishes - cuts of the movie and early test screenings and storyboards to make sure that they're on the same page with what he originally wanted and Snyder gave his blessing of approval, bringing it back to what he wanted all along."

It's interesting to hear that Warner Bros. did not want Snyder involved with the filmmaking process for Aquaman, indicating just how damaged that relationship has become over the production of Justice League. But Wan also wanted to make his own film, and so it stands to reason that he'd go to the source when figuring out a way to distance Aquaman from DC's epic team-up film.

When the Huffington Post asked Wan why the Justice League didn't cameo in the film, the director provided a reasonable response.

"I just feel like this is his stand-alone movie, just let it be about Aquaman," Wan said. "I feel like all the other characters have had so many movies; audiences have known all the other characters in all the other movies, all these different projects. Let this be Aquaman's time in the spotlight."

Aquaman is now playing in theaters.

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