Over the past few months, a lot of digital ink has been shed about the implications of Zack Snyder‘s recut of “Justice League.” Officially known as “Zack Snyder’s Justice League,” the possible miniseries or television movie comes after a particular segment of fandom made a lot of noise for a very long time. Whether this was a heartwarming success story or a sign of dangerous audience entitlement depends on whether you’ve ever been on the other side of online harassment. Given the early days of the publicity campaign, the answer is looking a lot more like the latter than the former.
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Earlier today, the first teaser for “Zack Snyder’s Justice League” leaked online ahead of the director’s DC FanDome appearance. The trailer – which features full HBO Max branding and will not be shared here – quickly became the subject of online conversation from critics and audience members alike. One such commenter was Forbes writer Scott Mendelson, who complained that the trailer seemed comprised of “alternate takes of existing scenes.”
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Mendelson’s comments caught the attention of Snyder himself, who quickly took to Twitter to call Mendelson out in front of the director’s 827k followers. “You said you enjoyed the theatrical cut of Justice League like you enjoy your Saturday morning cartoons,” Snyder countered. “Well this is made for grownups, so you’re not in the demographic. Also, cool of you to comment on a leaked teaser.”
This is not the first time that Snyder has singled out Mendelson online. As some have pointed out on Twitter, this particular comeback is a bit odd given that the history of Snyder’s “Justice League” is comprised of nothing but “leaked teasers.” That being said, those willing to give Snyder and his fans a second chance after the rampant online harassment of yesteryear have to be disappointed in this exchange. Seeing Snyder go big on the mildest of criticisms, especially given how understanding everyone might be about production pauses in a COVID-19 world, is not a great look for the director, nor is watching his fans jump to his rescue. “Grownups,” indeed.
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Regardless, with the footage leaked, it won’t be long until it appears through the official channels as well. Keep an eye on the rest of the DC FanDome presentations – and on Snyder’s ‘Justice League’ panel in particular – for an opportunity to see the sanctioned teaser for the upcoming property.
