Zack Snyder’s Justice League Could Get R-Rated Theatrical Release

The Justice League Snyder Cut is in the works as a four-hour mini-series for HBO Max. Even then, Zack Snyder’s Justice League may also get a theatrical re-release with one major change: it’s probably going to be rated R. In a new interview with Entertainment Weekly, Snyder reveals his take on the classic DC Comics team-up is much darker than the version that already made theaters. In fact, the filmmaker says his version is R-rated largely in part of Batman’s (Ben Affleck) potty mouth.

“Here’s one piece of information nobody knows: The movie is insane and so epic and is probably rated R — that’s one thing I think will happen, that it will be an R-rated version, for sure,” Snyder told the magazine. “We haven’t heard from the MPAA, but that’s my gut.”

“There’s one scene where Batman drops an F-bomb. Cyborg is not too happy with what’s going on with his life before he meets the Justice League, and he tends to speak his mind. And Steppenwolf is pretty much just hacking people in half. So [the rating would be due to] violence and profanity, probably both.”

WarnMedia has been in the news of late after CEO Jason Kilar and team decided to release all of the outfit’s films on HBO Max day and date with their theatrical release schedule, wherever theaters are open. According to the filmmaker, a similar plan could be in the works with his Justice League, where the R-rated cut hits theaters the same do the four-part mini-series is added to the streamer.

“I’m a huge fan and a big supporter of the cinematic experience, and we’re already talking about Justice League playing theatrically at the same time it’s coming to HBO Max,” Snyder added. “So weirdly, it’s the reverse [of the trend].”

Outside the fabled “Snyder Cut,” Justice League has also been in the news due to an investigation into the treatment of actors and crew after Snyder left the project. According to movie star Ray Fisher, Joss Whedon — the director who took over Snyder’s duties — made racially-charged decisions when finishing the movie.

“I always suspected that race was a determining factor for the way that things went down, but it wasn’t until this past summer that I was able to prove it,” he told them. “Race was just one of the issues with the reshoot process. There were massive blowups, threats, coercion, taunting, unsafe work conditions, belittling, and gaslighting like you wouldn’t believe.”

“What set my soul on fire and forced me to speak out about Joss Whedon this summer was my becoming informed that Joss had ordered that the complexion of an actor of color be changed in post-production because he didn’t like the color of their skin tone,” Fisher continued. “Man, with everything 2020’s been, that was the tipping point for me.”

Zack Snyder’s Justice League has yet to set a release date on HBO Max.