In heartbreaking news from Justice League director Zack Snyder and wife/producer Deborah Snyder, the pair has announced that they will step away from the remaining stages of work on the superhero film to put their family first after a devastating tragedy.
Snyder's daughter Autumn from his first marriage committed suicide at the age of 20 in March, and the family has rallied round to support each other. The news was not announced until now, and both Snyder and his wife are taking leave. Into the director's place steps Joss Whedon – a more recent addition to the DC creative team via his Batgirl movie – who had already been drafted into write new scenes for additional shooting and will now oversee them and the rest of the post-production process.
Opening up to The Hollywood Reporter, Snyder talked about the situation and his choice. "In my mind, I thought it was a cathartic thing to go back to work, to just bury myself and see if that was way through it," he says. "The demands of this job are pretty intense. It is all-consuming. And in the last two months, I’ve come to the realization... I’ve decided to take a step back from the movie to be with my family, be with my kids, who really need me. They are all having a hard time. I’m having a hard time."
While all concerned considered pushing the release date to give the couple more time, the Snyders decided against that, with the studio's full support. "What they are going through is unimaginable, and my heart – our hearts – go out to them," Warner Bros. Pictures president Toby Emmerich tells THR.
And Whedon will not be doing a lot of work on the film, just adding to what is already there. "The directing is minimal and it has to adhere to the style and tone and the template that Zack set," says Emmerich. "We’re not introducing any new characters. It’s the same characters in some new scenes. He’s handing a baton to Joss, but the course has really been set by Zack. I still believe that despite this tragedy, we’ll still end up with a great movie."
Our thoughts are with the Snyders and their family.