Fans of DC Comics will surely know that a Justice League film is in development (post-production, in fact), bringing together popular superheroes like The Flash, Batman, and Superman, but director Zack Snyder has told The Hollywood Reporter that he is stepping down from the film following the tragic death of his daughter Autumn by suicide.
Snyder's wife Deborah is also taking a break from being a producer on the film following the loss, and Avengers director Josh Whedon will take over the film through post-production, meaning it should be on track for its November 17 release.
"In my mind, I thought it was a cathartic thing to go back to work, to just bury myself and see if that was the way through it," Snyder said at the Warner Bros. lot regarding the loss, which happened in March. "The demands of this job are pretty intense. It is all-consuming. And in the last two months, I've come to the realisation ... I've decided to take a step back from the movie to be with my family, be with my kids, who really need me. They are all having a hard time. I'm having a hard time."
"What they are going through is unimaginable, and my heart — our hearts — go out to them," said Warner Bros. Pictures president Toby Emmerich.
Emmerich also talked about the additional scenes Snyder wanted filmed for the project, which he won't be overseeing. "The directing is minimal and it has to adhere to the style and tone and the template that Zack set," he said. "We're not introducing any new characters. It's the same characters in some new scenes. He's handing the baton to Joss, but the course has really been set by Zack. I still believe that despite this tragedy, we'll still end up with a great movie."
"Here's the thing, I never planned to make this public," Snyder said about the loss. "I thought it would just be in the family, a private matter, our private sorrow that we would deal with. When it became obvious that I need to take a break, I knew there would be narratives created on the internet. They'll do what they do. The truth is ... I'm past caring about that kind of thing now."
Gamereactor sends our condolences to Snyder and his family.