The Political Economy
“The building blocks are there for a great different set of superhero movies. Good actors and actresses and even directors. Zack Snyder is just not the guy that should be in charge of the biggest and most important films in the franchise. Especially with his track record now.”
That’s the sum of an ongoing petition with more than 17,000 supporters, launched with the sole purpose of booting Zack Snyder off of the DCEU. It is evident nowadays that fandom is not to be underestimated. In fact, it has taken such enormous dimensions that it’s fully capable of alienating filmmakers (what happened with Joss Whedon and his Marvel departure after Avengers: Age of Ultron), destroy carriers (what happened with Josh Trank and his post-Fantastic Four behavior and statements) and form entire studio policies (what is happening with the MCU). Accordingly, in a bold display of influential force, fans pointed out loudly that there are things they disliked about BvS. Fearful of the future of their extravagant investment in the DCEU, the studio’s reaction was extraordinarily immediate.
When it was established shortly after its release that the theatrical cut was a shorter version of the film, and that the special screening that took place some weeks before and received cheerful reviews was actually the three-hour cut Snyder initially intended to present, Warner Bros. beetled off to announce an upcoming director’s cut Blu-ray edition, temporarily soothing fans.
When they were accused of building a downbeat and humorless universe, they dashed to state that the next films will be funnier and released a couple of playful Suicide Squad -DCEU’s very next installment- trailers under roaming reports that the film’s extensive reshoots were due to add more jokes. They even rearranged their whole creative division, establishing DC Films and putting Geoff Johns in charge, a similar strategy to Marvel Studios and its visionary Kevin Feige.
A few weeks ago, a big number of film reporters were invited to the ongoing production of the Justice League feature. They were shown film footage, sets pieces, props and costumes, interviewed the cast and crew, saw the filming of a scene, witnessed the on-stage energy and, in a definite showcase of confidence from DC Films, were allowed to freely talk about all of this in their reports.
With these actions the studio managed to reverse the ill vibes around the DCEU and gradually won many of the fans back. The Ultimate Edition, which is already out, is getting a lot of positive feedback, too, as Snyder’s intentions are somewhat being appreciated and the film is actively being re-evaluated. Literally all reports from the set of JL describe an incredibly creative atmosphere and a long-desired chemistry between the actors and their characters. Denouncing fans are now anticipating to see their team-up, even with Snyder on the helm. DC is at last assured of their personnel and certain of their creative directions. This reshaping of a whole studio policy by a film’s cult following is probably unprecedented in modern Hollywood.