With Zack Snyder’s Justice League turning out to be one of this year’s most divisive movies, it has been revealed that the superhero spectacular was originally filmed at three hours long – but would an extended runtime have helped or hindered Snyder’s maligned masterpiece?


Uniting Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Cyborg, and Aquaman for their first on-screen ensemble, there was a lot to pack into Justice League‘s stingy 120 minutes. Snyder had completed the lion’s share of the movie before he left for personal reasons, leaving The Avengers director Joss Whedon to take over. It is reported that Warner Bros. insisted on a shortened runtime and that Whedon’s involvement impacted around 33% of Justice League, which ultimately led to Snyder’s plans of a much grander affair falling by the wayside.


Beyond The Trailer‘s Grace Randolph gave her own honest review of Justice League and also spoke about her top-secret visit to the studio lot. When discussing the pros and cons of the movie, she revealed that yes, Snyder’s first draft ran at a hefty three hours. It’s a similar case to David Ayer’s Suicide Squad, which went under the knife and had arguably some of its best material slashed. Even from the Justice League trailer, there is a myriad of shots that didn’t make the finished product, meaning fans are begging to know what else was left on the cutting room floor. So, apart from Iris West and Lex Luthor, what did we miss out on?


As Randolph points out, an extended cut was shown to Warner Bros. execs before Justice League went on its cutting spree, and unlike Suicide Squad, an extended release of Justice League wouldn’t take a mountain of work to get there. The big question now is if the studio will relent and give superhero fans the movie they asked for. Snyder is a director that’s known for his “Ultimate Edition” cuts of films like Watchmen and Batman V Superman, but everyone involved seems to be playing down the chances of an extended Justice Leauge.


From Ben Affleck’s double to the movie’s cinematographer, the obvious horde of baying fans, and even a petition doing the round, it looks like everyone wants a Snyder cut to see the light of day. Only time will tell whether the powers that be decide to gift Justice League‘s original form to the world, which would hopefully allow fans to experience the conclusion of Snyder’s DC trilogy as it was intended to be seen.

Oh I wish it was 3 hours. Im watching it tonight