JUSTICE LEAGUE Director Zack Snyder Will Receive First Valiant Award From Hollywood Critics Association

Critics haven't been overly kind to Zack Snyder in recent years, but the Hollywood Critics Association has today announced plans to award the filmmaker with the first Valiant Award. Read on for details...

By JoshWilding - Mar 03, 2021 10:03 AM EST

Filed Under: Justice League

For whatever reason, some critics have taken great delight in tearing down Zack Snyder in recent years. It seemingly started with Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and only got worse from there when they went all in on ridiculing the #ReleaseTheSnyderCut campaign.

Regardless, the Hollywood Critics Association has announced (via The Hollywood Reporter) that the organisation will present the filmmaker with the first Valiant Award at the virtual 4th Annual HCA Film Awards ceremony on Friday.

"As a fan of Synder's ever since Dawn of the Dead, I couldn't be happier that we will be acknowledging his visionary filmmaking and resilience to overcome any obstacles," says HCA chair Scott Menzel, referring to the tragic death of Snyder's daughter, Autumn, while Justice League was being shot.

"As someone whose own life was impacted due to suicide, I was extremely moved by how Zack and his wife and business partner Deborah turned their incommensurable pain into altruistic action, spearheading an effort that has helped countless individuals and families," HCA chair Ashley Menzel added.

In hyping the release of the "Snyder Cut" of Justice League, the filmmaker has helped raise over $500,000 for the American Foundation of Suicide Prevention, and the HCA will be purchasing merchandise from fundraising website Ink to the People to give away to fans on social media during the ceremony, raising additional funds for AFSP in the process.

It's fair to say Snyder is deserving of the award, and we'll hopefully hear from him on Friday.

Click on the "Next" button below for 10 recent
Justice League reveals from Zack Snyder!

10. Why An Episodic Release Was Scrapped

When news broke that WarnerMedia would release Zack Snyder's Justice League through HBO Max, it was reported that the film would be released as six individual episodes.

Transforming it into a TV series made sense from a business perspective (bringing back subscribers on a weekly basis is a better way of driving up subscribers than a film), but something changed. According to Snyder, it "got complicated," potentially because of contractual issues with the cast.

He also admitted that fans "would've been mad if they had to wait weeks" for each installment, but confirmed the film will still play out with a six-chapter structure.

That will make it much easier to watch, especially with a mammoth runtime.

9. Chapter Titles

Justice League producer Deborah Snyder has said that these chapters will make watching the #SnyderCut an easier experience, and Zack has shared the titles of the first two.

Chapter 1 is "Don't Count On It Batman," and Chapter 2 is titled "The Age of Heroes."

Unfortunately, he didn't reveal any more than that, but we can probably figure out what how the first two acts will play out. The first chapter likely follows the Dark Knight as he attempts to assemble his team, while the second probably revisits the first time Uxas and Steppenwolf attacked Earth.

It's unclear whether additional chapter titles will be revealed prior to the film's release.

8. Martian Manhunter's Role In Superman's Life

Actor Harry Lennix submitted a question to Snyder during this panel, and Snyder responded by elaborating on the ties between Martian Manhunter's dual identity as both an alien and General Swanwick.

"In my mind, Swanwick and Martian Manhunter, it's like his alter-ego," the filmmaker explains. "That's kind of the way I see it. If you notice the way he's manipulated both Lois and Clark to do their best, to be the best they can be, because in this incarnation he wants humanity to do it themselves and/or this new hero in Superman."

"I think that that's kind of the way I see it – that they have the same voice," Snyder added.

Martian Manhunter is likely to have a small, but pivotal role in Zack Snyder's Justice League, but it seems we shouldn't expect him to be portrayed that differently to Swanwick in Man of Steel and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.

7. Darkseid's Place In The Film

Snyder's plan was for Darkseid to be the lead villain in a Justice League sequel, but with that unlikely to happen, the director has assured fans that he has a key role to play in the #SnyderCut.

Explaining that the villain has "tons of human motivation" and not just a singular mission, Snyder adds: "He operates on another plane, but certainly something happened to him in the past and he's not happy about it, and it's really hurt him" (that's likely an allusion to his defeat the first time around).

"It's shaped him and he's looking to make it right, and so I think there's a lot of nuance in him and Ray [Porter] does a great job of voicing him."

We've yet to hear what Porter sounds like as Darkseid, so that praise from Snyder should reassure fans.

6. The Film's Runtime

Zack Snyder's Justice League has been touted as a four-hour epic, but we now have a specific runtime for the film.

It's been confirmed that the #SnyderCut will clock in at a whopping four hours and two minutes. We're assuming a good ten to fifteen minutes of that will be credits, but that's still the longest superhero film ever made (sorry, Avengers: Endgame).

There's been chatter about Cyborg getting a 15-minute origin story, a sign perhaps that there will be a lot of padding and fluff in the film. However, if it all fits together when all is said and done, the four-hours could be justified.

For fans of the filmmaker, however, they're bound to love every minute of this version.

5. The Importance Of Cyborg

Ray Fisher's Cyborg remains an incredibly important character to Snyder, and he explained during the panel that, "To me, [Cyborg’s backstory is] such an important part of the movie, and his whole arc and journey is so important. There was just really cool stuff that we shot and that we created that I was really excited for fans to see."

He then reiterated how pivotal the character is to his #SnyderCut.

"Everything turns on him, everything turns on the stakes that are presented to him, the events that befall him within the context of the film." Snyder also feels that the character has serious future potential despite the recent news about Fisher not starring in The Flash.

"You're going to realize that Cyborg is [the] tip of the iceberg, in my opinion, so who knows?" the filmmaker pondered about the cinematic future for the hero.

4. What Steppenwolf Brings To The Table

Steppenwolf was a forgettable part of Joss Whedon's Justice League, but he'll get significantly more screentime in Snyder's.

We'll also learn more about what the filmmaker describes as his "very complicated" relationship with Darkseid. "I'm not going to give it away but the dynamic between the two of them, some things happened in the past," he said, again alluding to their first invasion of Earth.

"There's a bunch of issues between them and so, yeah, I think that all plays out. Yes, the answer is there's quite a complex relationship there."

It appears Steppenwolf failed Darkseid thousands of years ago, and his return to Earth is likely an attempt to make that right.

3. Two Versions Of Zack Snyder's Justice League

Zack Snyder's Justice League is being released in a 1:33:1 aspect ratio, and reiterated that a black and white version is also in the works which has been dubbed the "Justice Is Gray" edition.

Snyder explains that he's a "huge advocate of and a huge admirer of" what he calls his "favorite version of the movie."

That's going to be released on HBO Max "at some point" says Snyder, but the filmmaker's ultimate goal is for fans to be able to watch the #SnyderCut of Justice League on an IMAX screen.

That will feature a "beautiful intermission, Junkie XL intermission." Snyder adds: "It’s an afternoon and into evening experience that’s pretty cool."

2. Black Suit Superman

When he was in charge of Justice League the first time around, Snyder had long discussions with Warner Bros. about putting Superman in his black suit from the comics.

"I was a big advocate [of the black suit]," the filmmaker reveals, "they were not so much, and we would go back and forth. I said, ‘Okay, let me just at least do some tests to see if I could put him in the black suit and what it would look like.’ We devised a method in which we could easily turn the suit, using the existing suit, to the black and silver suit that you see in the movie."

Snyder says it was always his intention to include that suit, and shared his first reaction to seeing it.

"We all just sat back like, wow, are we really doing this?" the director, a fanboy at heart, explains.

1. The Empty Kryptonian Pod

Since Man of Steel was released in theaters in 2013, fans have speculated wildly about who or what was inside the open pod in the Kryptonian ship Superman discovers.

One popular theory is that Supergirl emerged from that thousands of years ago, becoming the first Amazon in the process. Unfortunately, Snyder is keeping quiet when it comes to what the truth behind that apparent Easter Egg.

"It definitely is in Justice League," Snyder says of the pod. "They pass it and they look at it. They don't talk about it but, yeah, that is an open question, and I would hope at some point to find out who was in there, what's going on."

Fingers crossed the filmmaker one day reveals all.

h/t IGN

JUSTICE LEAGUE Director Zack Snyder Reveals Plan To Restore Superman's Humanity In Scrapped Sequels

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75 Comments

1 2

JohnnyTBP - 3/3/2021, 10:03 AM

Congratulations to Zack Snyder

MyCoolYoung - 3/3/2021, 10:03 AM

GhostDog - 3/3/2021, 10:04 AM

MyCoolYoung - 3/3/2021, 10:12 AM

@BlackBeltJones - you deserve all of the likes. Whatever it is, you won.

SonOfAGif - 3/3/2021, 10:04 AM

Dawn of the Dead is one of the best remakes ever.

WruceBayne - 3/3/2021, 10:06 AM

Cheers to you Snyder

Reeds2Much - 3/3/2021, 10:07 AM

Shouldn't his diehard fans be the ones getting the recognition?

Doomsday8888 - 3/3/2021, 10:08 AM

Also, just watched the second ep of Superman and Lois and this too was damn good.

Superspecialawesomeguy - 3/3/2021, 10:12 AM

Congratulations Zack.

ModHaterSLADE - 3/3/2021, 10:18 AM

Good for the dude.

Kumkani - 3/3/2021, 10:20 AM

I almost thought this said Valiant Comics award. I was so confused.

Congratulations to him though. He should feel very proud.

QuietStorm - 3/3/2021, 10:21 AM

Well deserved

regularmovieguy - 3/3/2021, 10:21 AM

Genuinely impressed by the thread. Respect to all y’all. ✊🏻

Congratulations, Zack.

Kumkani - 3/3/2021, 10:23 AM

"For whatever reason, some critics have taken great delight in tearing down Zack Snyder in recent years."

What kind of [frick]ing article opener is this?

Ahhh - 3/3/2021, 10:25 AM

@Kumkani - *Wilding seeing comments

"Why is nobody tearing eachother apart?"

Ahhh - 3/3/2021, 10:25 AM

"For whatever reason, some critics have taken great delight in tearing down Zack Snyder in recent years."

Wow classy.

BabyBaboons - 3/3/2021, 10:31 AM

Everybody on here taking Ws today. Love to see it. Don’t break the streak boys. to the moon.

tmp3 - 3/3/2021, 10:32 AM

Well deserved. Can’t imagine what going through something like that must have been like, let alone soldiering on.

WakandanQueen - 3/3/2021, 10:33 AM

Congratulations Zack!

Kumkani - 3/3/2021, 10:40 AM

Honestly this is really well deserved for soldiering on the way he did. He didn't need to. Everyone would understand if he chose to hang it up. But he didn't, and I respect and admire that greatly.

1 2

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JUSTICE LEAGUE Director Zack Snyder Will Receive First Valiant Award From Hollywood Critics Association

Critics haven't been overly kind to Zack Snyder in recent years, but the Hollywood Critics Association has today announced plans to award the filmmaker with the first Valiant Award. Read on for details...

10. Why An Episodic Release Was Scrapped

9. Chapter Titles

8. Martian Manhunter's Role In Superman's Life

7. Darkseid's Place In The Film

6. The Film's Runtime

5. The Importance Of Cyborg

4. What Steppenwolf Brings To The Table

3. Two Versions Of Zack Snyder's Justice League

2. Black Suit Superman

1. The Empty Kryptonian Pod

JUSTICE LEAGUE Director Zack Snyder Reveals Plan To Restore Superman's "Humanity" In Scrapped Sequels

DC Studios Rumored To Be Planning A JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL Movie

CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS - PART THREE Trailer Features [SPOILER] As Release Date is Finally Revealed

JUSTICE LEAGUE: CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS - PART THREE Cover Art Reveals The Movie's Lead Characters

JUSTICE LEAGUE Director Zack Snyder Reveals Plan To Restore Superman's "Humanity" In Scrapped Sequels

CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS - PART THREE Trailer Features [SPOILER] As Release Date is Finally Revealed

JUSTICE LEAGUE: CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS - PART THREE Cover Art Reveals The Movie's Lead Characters

JUSTICE LEAGUE Director Zack Snyder Reveals Plan To Restore Superman's "Humanity" In Scrapped Sequels

CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS - PART THREE Teaser Features Kevin Conroy's Batman And Mark Hamill's Joker

Will JUSTICE LEAGUE UNLIMITED Get An X-MEN '97-Style Revival? DC Studios Boss James Gunn Weighs In

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