Zack Snyder has announced that he’s taking a hiatus from work, and will therefore be unable to direct the upcoming Justice League movie, in the wake of a family tragedy:
The producer’s daughter committed suicide in March.
Snyder confirmed this awful personal news and the affect it will have on his professional life to The Hollywood Reporter.
He said he is stepping away from Justice League, the DC Comics superhero mega-film that is in post-production, in order to deal with the death of his child.
Snyder’s wife, Deborah Snyder, who is a producer on Justice League, is also taking a break to focus on the healing of her family.
“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 told THR.
With his wife by his wife, the director added:
“The demands of this job are pretty intense. It is all-consuming. And in the last two months, I’ve come to the realization … 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.”
Joss Whedon (pictured below) will take over for Snyder.
He will see the movie – which stars Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot, Jason Momoa and Ezra Miller – through post, editing and the shooting of some additional scenes.
It remains on track for a November 17 release date.
Two months ago, Autumn Snyder killed herself at the age of 20.
Details on the tragedy are scarce, with only a small number of people in Snyder’s inner circle aware of what happened.
The film went on a two-week hiatus for Snyder to grieve and the director initially said he was eager to return to work as a much-needed distraction.
But it’s simply proved too difficult.
“What they are going through is unimaginable, and my heart — our hearts — go out to them,” says Warner Bros. Pictures president Toby Emmerich in response to Snyder’s decision.
Snyder is best known for directing action-packed, superhero films, including 300, Watchmen, Man of Steel, and Superman v. Batman: Dawn of Justice.
According to IMDB, he had been slated to direct both Justice League and the film’s sequel.
Moreover, he has at least nine other films that he’s set to produce in the future.
The status of his role in these movies is unknown at the moment.
“Here’s the thing, I never planned to make this public,” Snyder said of his daughter’s suicide, adding:
“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 break, I knew there would be narratives created on the internet.
“They’ll do what they do. The truth it…I’m past caring about that kind of thing now.”
The director has a total of seven kids and stepchildren with Deborah, along with a new perspective on life:
“I want the movie to be amazing and I’m a fan, but that all pales pretty quickly in comparison.
“I know the fans are going to be worried about the movie but there are seven other kids that need me. In the end, it’s just a movie. It’s a great movie.
“But it’s just a movie.”
We send our condolences to the family of Zack Snyder.