Joss Whedon to Finish Justice League As Zack Snyder Steps Down After Family Tragedy
Joss Whedon will take over post-production work on Justice League after director Zack Snyder took the decision to focus on his family after suffering the heart-breaking loss of his daughter.
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 Deborah Snyder, who also serves as producer on the film, are taking leave.
Stepping into the breach is Joss Whedon, a recent addition to the DCEU with Batgirl, who has already been drafted in to write additional scenes which he will be overseeing along with the rest of the post-production process.
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Snyder opened up about the situation and his decision to step away: “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 there were some initial talks about pushing the release date back to give the couple more time, the Snyders, along with Warner Bros, decided against that.
Warner Bros. Pictures president Toby Emmerich said of the decision to bring Whedon in: “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 hearts go out to the Snyders.
