Zack Snyder’s R-Rated Justice League Director’s Cut Has the Tone “You’ve Been Waiting For”

Zack Snyder says his expected R-rated director’s cut of Justice League has the tone “you’ve been waiting for” — and it’s looking cool. In an update on Zack Snyder’s Justice League, the four-part experience coming to HBO Max in March, the Man of Steel and Batman v Superman filmmaker said his Snyder Cut is so “insane and so epic” that it’s “probably rated R.” Along with an F-bomb-dropping Batman (Ben Affleck) and a swearing Cyborg (Ray Fisher), the director’s cut unleashes a Steppenwolf (Ciarán Hinds) more violent than the one seen in the PG-13 theatrical version completed by Joss Whedon.

“I’m just watching it right upstairs right now, and it’s looking cool. So I can’t wait for you guys to see it,” Snyder told John Doe Movie Reviews. “You’re gonna see the tone I think that you’ve been waiting for.”

Snyder clarified the MPAA hasn’t officially reported an R rating, “But my feeling is [it will be R].”

He first told Entertainment Weekly his gut feeling is that Zack Snyder’s Justice League will “for sure” come back with an R. According to Snyder, this new version has a level of profanity and violence not seen in the theatrical release:

“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,” he said. “And Steppenwolf is pretty much just hacking people in half. So [the rating would be due to] violence and profanity, probably both.”

When Snyder confirmed a March 2021 release earlier this week, the filmmaker wrote on Vero that he hopes the R-rated Justice League will “wipe that [theatrical] version out of existence.” Snyder has never watched the cut of Justice League finished by Whedon, and he’s made clear the Snyder Cut will not include footage shot by someone else.

“I’d destroy the movie before I use a single frame that I didn’t photograph,” Snyder said during a virtual Justice Con panel over the summer. “That is a f—ing hard fact. I’d blow the f—ing thing up.”

In November, Snyder estimated this all-new version of Justice League has at least 150 minutes of never-before-seen footage.

“It’s really exciting, and I’m excited for you guys to see the giant amount of movie that you have coming your way in 2021 [on] HBO Max,” Snyder said during a live-stream on Vero. “Don’t forget, it is probably solid two-and-a-half hours of unseen footage in this movie, I would imagine. Something like that. So yeah, that’s gonna be fun for everyone to experience this for the first time.”

Zack Snyder’s Justice League starts streaming on HBO Max in March 2021.