Justice League Snyder Cut is real and coming to HBO Max in 2021

(Image credit: Warner Bros./DC)

It’s official: the Justice League Snyder Cut is real – and it’s coming to HBO Max in 2021.

Director Zack Snyder announced the news during a Man of Steel watch party (featuring special guest Henry Cavill for a Q&A session) on social media site Vero.

He revealed the news with a black-and-white poster, detailing that the Snyder Cut is coming to HBO Max next year. "It'll probably be in '21... we've got a little work to do. We're doing it. Get ready."

Earlier during the Q&A, it appeared the Snyder Cut was a non-story and the saga would run on and on. The director said, "I'm not in control of it. I said it exists and am very clear what I did with it. It's not really up to me. If it was I would have left it on a thumb drive in a bathroom!"

Further details have been revealed by THR. A $20m to $30m budget have both been mooted, while the idea of reportedly splitting the Snyder Cut into six parts or running it as a four-hour movie has been floated.

"It will be an entirely new thing, and, especially talking to those who have seen the released movie, a new experience apart from that movie," Snyder said. "You probably saw one-fourth of what I did."

The Snyder Cut, the version of Justice League that Snyder worked on before departing the project due to a family tragedy, was talked about for years: an almost-mythical, radically different version of the DC team-up movie that was eventually directed by Joss Whedon. It’s a director’s cut that has been vocally backed by fans social media campaigns and even flyovers at SDCC.

Speculation, though, reached fever pitch earlier this week after Snyder said he would be hosting a Man of Steel watchalong just a week before HBO Max’s launch on May 27. This, when coupled with several film journalists indicating that a big announcement was imminent, led to #ReleaseTheSnyderCut trending worldwide.

In an official statement on the Snyder Cut, Snyder added: "I want to thank HBO Max and Warner Brothers for this brave gesture of supporting artists and allowing their true visions to be realized. Also a special thank you to all of those involved in the SnyderCut movement for making this a reality."

Robert Greenblatt, Chairman of Warner Media Entertainment, said: “Since I got here 14 months ago, the chant to #ReleaseTheSnyderCut has been a daily drumbeat in our offices and inboxes. Well, the fans have asked, and we are thrilled to finally deliver. At the end of the day, it really is all about them and we are beyond excited to be able to release Zack’s ultimate vision for this film in 2021."

Honestly? We never thought we'd see the day. But it's now oh-so-close. Drink it in. The Justice League Snyder Cut is officially official. Because it's 2020, and why not? The S stands for hope, after all.

Bradley Russell

I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.

Latest in Superhero Movies
Ben Affleck in Zack Snyder's Justice League
Ben Affleck reflects on the "excruciating experience" playing Batman in the Zack Snyder movies: "A lot of it was misalignment of agendas, understandings, expectations"
James Gunn
James Gunn reacts to Jason Momoa almost spoiling his Lobo costume in an interview: "I just want to profoundly thank Jason’s publicist"
Peter Dinklage as Toxie in The Toxic Avenger
The first trailer for Peter Dinklage's long awaited Toxic Avenger reboot movie channels all the raunchy weirdness of the '80s original
Hot Fuzz
The 35 greatest 2000s action movies
Captain America: Brave New World
Giancarlo Esposito confirms he was originally set to play Marvel's King Cobra in Captain America: Brave New World: "It was a bit of a whirlwind"
Chris Evans as Steve Rogers in Avengers: Endgame
The Russo brothers hope that Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars are a "new beginning" for the MCU
Latest in News
Mario & Luigi: Brothership trailer still
"They are really feelin' the pressure": Former Nintendo staff think today's Direct, just 6 days before the Switch 2 Direct is a "bad idea strategically"
channing tatum gambit in deadpool and wolverine
Marvel fans are hoping Channing Tatum's Gambit return in Avengers: Doomsday will be different from Deadpool and Wolverine
Final Fantasy 16 protagonist Clive uses magic in closeup screenshot
Despite fans begging for Tifa, Final Fantasy 16's Clive is "significantly more popular" than any other Tekken guest fighter
Spider-Man 4
There might be an obvious reason why Tom Holland's Spider-Man wasn't announced for Avengers: Doomsday
Patrick Stewart in X-Men
Marvel fans are already theorizing how Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, and James Marsden's X-Men will be integrated into Avengers: Doomsday
Daredevil: Born Again episode 6
Daredevil's Charlie Cox isn't in the Avengers: Doomsday cast list – but Marvel fans have an idea about how he might still show up