HBO Max Boss Reveals What Held Up Zack Snyder's Justice League Cut

Warner Media is bringing Zack Snyder's Justice League to HBO Max in 2021, but it's been a long time coming. The original Justice League film hit theaters in 2017, and fans have been campaigning to see Snyder's Cut ever since. In a new interview with Business Insider, HBO Max content chief Kevin Reilly explained some of why the process took as long as it did. "I forget when Zack and Deborah first gave us the sense of where they were heading, but even from that meeting, me and my team felt it was something we really wanted to do," Reilly says. "There were a lot of issues involved to figure out how we could deliver on his vision, and a myriad of legal issues. We've been sitting on this for quite some time but working on it. It was obviously a secret project given the high level of interest, but we were chipping away at it piece by piece. There was some strategy but also some serendipity in how we got over the hurdle of some of those issues just before the launch."

When pressed for more specifics, Reilly declined to go into details at this time. "That's a whole separate interview," he says. "Let's file that as a follow up."

In the days since Warner Media's announcement, there's been fan discussion online about what the Snyder Cut will include. HBO Max still hasn't committed to a release format for the Snyder Cut, be it a revised film or a miniseries, but we do know that it will feature Darkseid, as played by Ray Porter.

"Since I got here 14 months ago, the chant to #ReleaseTheSnyderCut has been a daily drumbeat in our offices and inboxes. Well, the fans have asked, and we are thrilled to finally deliver. At the end of the day, it really is all about them and we are beyond excited to be able to release Zack's ultimate vision for this film in 2021. This could never have happened if it weren't for the hard work and combined efforts of the teams at HBO Max and Warner Bros. Pictures," said Robert Greenblatt, Chairman, Warner Media Entertainment and Direct-To-Consumer in a statement.

"When Zack and Debbie shared the extraordinary vision of where Zack wanted to take Justice League, my team and our counterparts at Warner Bros. took it as a mission to solve the many issues that stood in the way," said Kevin Reilly, Chief Content Officer at HBO Max, President, TNT, TBS and truTV. "Thanks to the partnership at Warner Bros. and the relentless pursuit of the entire WarnerMax team we are able to deliver this incredibly exciting moment for Zack, the fans and HBO Max."

"Thanks to the efforts of a lot people, we're excited to bring fans this highly anticipated version of Justice League," said Toby Emmerich, Chairman, Warner Bros. Pictures Group. "This feels like the right time to share Zack's story, and HBO Max is the perfect platform for it. We're glad the creative planets aligned, allowing us to #ReleaseTheSnyderCut."

Zack Snyder's Justice League comes to HBO Max in 2021.