Zack Snyder Says His Cut of JUSTICE LEAGUE Might Get an R-Rated Theatrical Release

Director Zack Snyder’s four-hour cut of Justice League that is coming to HBO Max might also end up getting a theatrical release. If it does, the filmmaker believes that it will end up getting slapped with an R-rating. When talking about it, Snyder told Entertainment Weekly:

"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. We haven't heard from the MPAA, but that's my gut."

Snyder was then asked about the details regarding what makes the film so explicit, and he said:

"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."

Yeah, that definitely sounds like the making of an R-rated Justice League. But just because the movie might be R-rated, doesn’t mean the movie is going to be good. I’m just hoping that the movie tells a good story. Snyder goes on to say that he’s pushing for a theatrical release:

"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. So weirdly, it's the reverse [of the trend]."

The director went on to share his opinion on what WB releasing their entire 2021 slate of films on HBO Max, saying:

"It felt like a pretty bold move and that maybe the implication wasn't 100 percent thought out. I feel like there's a lot of people panicking during COVID. I hope that, in the end, that's what this was — some sort of knee-jerk to COVID and not some sort of greater move to disrupt the theatrical experience. I thought we were kind of already getting very close to the ideal theatrical window where you still had marketing material out there and you hadn't forgotten about the film by the time it came out on DVD or streaming. I thought we were starting to hone in on that sweet spot, but this kind of throws a monkey wrench in the works."

In Justice League, “fueled by his restored faith in humanity and inspired by Superman’s selfless act, Bruce Wayne enlists the help of his newfound ally, Diana Prince, to face an even greater enemy. Together, Batman and Wonder Woman work quickly to find and recruit a team of metahumans to stand against this newly awakened threat. But despite the formation of this unprecedented league of heroes—Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Cyborg and The Flash—it may already be too late to save the planet from an assault of catastrophic proportions.”

Justice League also stars Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman, Henry Cavill as Superman, Amy Adams as Lois Lane, Jason Momoa as Aquaman, Ezra Miller as The Flash, Ray Fisher as Cyborg, Jeremy Irons as Alfred Pennyworth, Diane Lane as Martha Kent, Ciarán Hinds as Steppenwolf, Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor, J.K. Simmons as Commissioner Gordon, and Jared Leto as Joker.

Zack Snyder’s Justice League will premiere on HBO Max as four separate episodes in 2021.