Collider Editor-in-Chief Steven Weintraub has apologized for his insensitive reaction to Zack Snyder’s recent revelation that his departure from 2017’s Justice League was due to more than just a family emergency.
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In an interview for the new book Release the Snyder Cut: An Insider Look at the Lost Justice League Movie, Snyder explained that the constant creative battles between himself and the studio were a major contributing factor in his decision to bail from the project.
“I just was kind of done with it,” Snyder told the book’s author, Sean O’Connell. “I was in this place of [knowing] my family needs me more than this bullshit, and I just need to honor them and do the best I can to heal that world.”
He added “I had no energy to fight [the studio], and fight for [the movie]. Literally, zero energy for that. I really think that’s the main thing.”
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He continued by saying he could’ve tried to stay and fight Warner Bros. in order to make the movie into what he wanted but was “beaten by what was going on in my life” – namely, the death of his teenage daughter.
“I think there’s a different world where I stayed and kind of tried. And I’m sure I could have . . . because every movie is a fight, right? I was used to that,” he said. “But I just did not have the [energy]. There was no fight in me. I had been beaten by what was going on in my life and I just didn’t want to, I didn’t care to . . . that was kind of where I was.”
By now, the rest of the story is as well known as the very characters the film is based upon. Once Snyder took his leave, Geoff Johns brought in Joss Whedon to finish the movie. They wound up rewriting and reshooting everything to take the DCEU in a new direction, resulting in the confused state of DC’s cinematic endeavor.
However, even after fans were successful in their two-year-long campaign to have the Snyder Cut released, Snyder’s turmoil surrounding the film has yet to come to an end, as numerous critics continue to mock the director for his departure.
One such individual was Collider Editor-in-Chief Steven Weintraub, who replied to The Playlist’s report of this story with a GIF of Ryan Gosling laughing to himself.
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Weintraub quickly deleted his Gosling-based reaction (unfortunately before a proper archive could be made) after receiving a wave of backlash from fans, as while the editor’s intent behind the tweet remains unknown, many took it to be a snide jab at Snyder’s personal and unthinkable tragedy.
Geeks + Gamers spotlighted Weintraub’s deleted post alongside a number of other tweets wherein the Collider EIC expresses his displeasure with “Snyder bros”, specifically due to their outspoken opinions on both the Justice League film itself and its behind-the-scenes fiascos.
According to Jeremy, Weintraub’s tweet was not just an attack on Snyder and his supporters, but also against every vocal fandom that pushes back against mainstream media narratives regarding quality or appeal.
Weintraub, Jeremy said, has a long history of “painting the toxic fan narrative with a broad brush.”
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Following the self-deletion of his tweet, Weintraub declared that his “least favorite people on Twitter are Snyder Bros who think they know everything about the making of #JusticeLeague” and clarified that he was, in fact, “looking forward to seeing the new 4 hour cut of ‘Justice’ League”.
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“But a LOT of stuff was going on when that movie was being filmed and edited that still hasn’t come out”, Weintraub added in a follow-up tweet.
He then added, “One day maybe it will. But I’ve been doing this job [for] 15 years and you’re coming at me like I just joined the internet and don’t know what I’m talking about!”
However, nearly eight hours later, Weintraub would concede that his tweet may have been in poor taste, in turn apologizing to Snyder and his fans for how his response “came out.”
“Earlier today I posted a gif which some people took to mean I was laughing at someone else’s pain,” wrote Weintraub. “To anyone who thought that I posted it to be mean or hurtful that was absolutely not my intent and I’m sincerely sorry it came out that way. I’m just going to stick to cat pics now.”
Release the Snyder Cut: An Insider Look at the Lost Justice League Movie is set to release on March 1st, around the time Zack Snyder’s Justice League will premiere on HBO Max.
What do you make of Snyder’s explanation? What about Weintraub’s comments? Let us know your thoughts on social media or in the comments down below!