If you’ve been paying attention to the internets over the past few weeks, you may have noticed some rumors heating up about Warner Bros.’ nervousness overBatman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Indeed, the studio has a lot to be worried about—the film is intended to kick off the studio’s own inter-connected universe in earnest, and with a very hefty budget, the bar for success is high. But as the studio has begun showing the film to certain people, early word has reportedly been mixed—some love it, some do not—which then led folks to wonder whether directorZack Snyderwould still be sticking around to helmJustice League – Part 1, which was intended to start production this spring, or if WB would change course.
Well in what appears to be a bit of damage control, Snyder and the studio revealed toEWthatJustice League – Part 1is officially a “go” and will begin filming on April 11th. Meaning that yes, Snyder is still directingJustice Leagueand no, the film is not being delayed.
“The idea that we could begin to boot up aJustice Leagueconcept was a cool thing,” says Snyder. “It was a little bit of an ‘about time’ moment, and I don’t blame [the studio] for feeling that way, because it’s a long time coming,” he said. “But I do feel like it’s a little bit of a creative hurdle. It seems like an easy thing to do at first glance, the idea that, ‘Oh, we just get the rest of the superheroes in there.’ But you have to [establish] a world where they can exist.”
Filming will be primarily based at the Warner Bros. Leavesden studios in England, with various locations around London and Iceland. Snyder is currently in the U.K. at the moment prepping the movie, which will start production just two weeks afterDawn of Justicehits theaters, so all involved will only havejustseen how the world reacts to theJustice Leagueprelude before filming begins.
It’s unclear who the final screenwriting credits onJustice League – Part 1will go to, but we previously heard that Oscar-winningArgoandBatman v SupermanscreenwriterChris Terriowas on the job.Henry Cavill,Ben Affleck, andGal Gadotreprise theirBatman v Supermanroles in the team-up movie alongsideJason Momoa’s Aquaman,Ezra Miller’s The Flash, andRay Fisher’s Cyborg.
Part 1, due for release in November 2017, is being produced wholly separately from its sequel, the 2019-datedJustice League – Part 2, so it’ll be curious to see what kind of story Snyder and Co. are telling. In betweenPart 1andPart 2, we will have seen standalone films forThe Flash(directed bySeth Grahame-Smith) andAquaman(directed byJames Wan), so audiences will get some backstory on those two DC characters.
So yeah, despite speculation to the contrary, it appears Warner Bros. is moving forward withJustice League – Part 1as planned, with Snyder continuing to spearhead this interconnected DC universe. For a refresher on the DC calendar as it stands now, take a look below:
