Batman v Superman and Justice League Writer Reveals How the Films Have Affected His Reputation in Hollywood

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and the theatrical cut of Justice League were both received poorly by critics, but that didn't hinder director Zack Snyder's career, as he continues to develop highly anticipated projects, with writer of those films Chris Terrio recently detailing the impact those disappointing critical reactions had on his career. The filmmaker also noted that what he was most frustrated with was that the version of Justice League that hit theaters was something that had been revised by Joss Whedon, so Terrio received negative reactions for issues audiences had with the film that he wasn't actually responsible for.

"People do have problems with [Zack Snyder's Justice League], and they'll quibble with the length, and they'll quibble with the way that certain characters are written," Terrio shared with Vanity Fair. "But that I can take, because that is actual critique of my work. That's fair game, and that I'll engage with any day. People can quarrel with the movie, but at least they're quarreling with my version and with Zack's version of the film...Justice League, the Zack Snyder version, is the only script other than Argo that I have a sole writer credit on. I really did develop this. So I can stand by this version, love it or hate it."

He added of the theatrical cut, "It hurts your reputation, but more importantly, it poisons your soul and your confidence, especially when this other version of the film wasn't seen."

Despite the negative reactions to the films earning him backlash, he wasn't entirely ostracized from Hollywood, as he followed Justice League with writing Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.

Interestingly, despite being proud of the work he did on his DCEU films, one element that was out of his control was the title of Batman v Superman, as he noted that he thought the title sounded more like a WWE promotion than a title that effectively captured the spirit of the story.

"I heard it and I thought, 'It just sounds self-important and clueless in a way. Tone-deaf,'" the filmmaker confessed. "The intention of the film was to do something interesting and dark and complex, not quite as Las Vegas, bust 'em up, WWE match as Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice."

Following the debut of Zack Snyder's Justice League on HBO Max, it's unknown when the superhero team will unite for another adventure.

What do you think of the backlash to the films? Let us know in the comments below!