Front Burner

Fan culture and #ReleaseTheSnyderCut

After years of fervent campaigning from fans, director Zack Snyder’s cut of the 2017 Justice League movie has been greenlit for release in 2021. Culture critics John Semley and Tina Hassannia on why this campaign struck a cultural chord, and what it says about fandom today.
This image released by Warner Bros. Pictures shows Ezra Miller, from left, Ben Affleck and Gal Gadot in a scene from the film Justice League. (Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. via The Associated Press)

The DC Comics blockbuster Justice League, despite great expectations, came out in 2017 to the great disappointment of critics and fans alike. Some fans blamed that disappointment on the fact that its director, Zack Snyder, had to quit while the film was still in production. That's how the #ReleasetheSnyderCut movement came to be — spawning online petitions and even public demonstrations. This week, Warner Media announced that the cut will be released in 2021, through HBO Max. Today on Front Burner, culture critics John Semley and Tina Hassannia explain the saga, and what it tells us about fan culture today.

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