The Zack Snyder cut of 2017's Justice League movie could be almost four hours long when it arrives on HBO Max in 2021, it's been revealed. The film, which is a reworking of the poorly-received 120-minute theatrical cut that's more in line with Snyder's vision, is currently over 214 minutes long. That's lengthier than Batman Vs Superman's Ultimate Cut, also directed by Snyder, which clocked in at 181 minutes.
"I have famously advertised the runtime at 214 minutes,” Snyder said in an interview with Beyond the Trailer (via GamesRadar), referring to a December 2019 social media post that revealed the Justice League cut's existence. "Now, in its current state, it’s going to end up being longer than that yet…[it's] exciting to bring all this new material to the fans."
Snyder says the final runtime is a "slightly closely guarded secret". "I'm still working on it, so I don't want to say," he said.
"No one's going to accuse me of making short movies, that's a fact," Snyder added. "My track record, especially with my director's cuts, is pretty crazy."
Snyder was also asked if his cut of the Justice League will fit in to the continuity of the DC Extended Universe as it stands. "It's a good question. We shot the movie in 2016. It'll be five years old when it comes out, for me. And frankly, the DC cinematic universe has branched like a tree and blossomed and grown in amazing and great ways."
Snyder then went on to praise upcoming movies like Wonder Woman 1984 and The Batman, as well as their respective directors Patty Jenkins and Matt Reeves.
"But for me, in where the movie falls, I believe that it really starts to represent its own path. It's kind of separate now from what I would say the DC cinematic universe is in continuity."
Snyder's next movie is Army of the Dead, which is coming to Netflix, and sounds like it's almost finished. That film will star Dave Bautista.
The Snyder Cut of the Justice League will debut on HBO Max in 2021, though we're unsure how it'll be released to territories outside the US right now.
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Fans probably won't mind
A film that's over 214 minutes long doesn't sound like our idea of a good time at the theater, but it matters less when we're talking about a streaming service exclusive.
To those campaigning to get the Snyder Cut of the Justice League, seeing the most complete version of the movie possible is one of the reasons they wanted this to happen.
In the case of Batman Vs Superman, the Ultimate Edition of that movie is somewhat better than the theatrical edition, but not dramatically so. In Justice League's case, the differences between the Snyder Cut and the one released in theaters will be extensive, requiring new effects work and costing more than $30 million to finish.
