Zack Snyder has stepped down from directing Justice League after the sad loss of his daughter Autumn, who committed suicide earlier this year. The film is currently in post-production and is set for a release in November of this year.
Joss Whedon, who will soon film the Batgirl movie for Warner Brothers, who distribute and own the rights to both films, will shepherd Justice League through post-production ready for its release.
Autumn, Snyder’s daughter from his previous marriage to Denise Weber, one of four children from the relationship, took her life back in March. Yesterday, Snyder released the following statement.
“In my mind, I thought it was a cathartic thing to go back to work, to just bury myself and see if that was way through it. 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.”
Deborah Snyder, Zack Snyder’s wife will also step back from the film to support her husband.
Warner Bros. production president Toby Emmerich told The Hollywood Reporter the studio was fully behind Zack’s decision.
“The directing is minimal, and it has to adhere to the style and tone and the template that Zack set,” Toby said.
“We’re not introducing any new characters. It’s the same characters in some new scenes. He’s handing a baton to Joss, but the course has really been set by Zack,” he added.
“I still believe that despite this tragedy, we’ll still end up with a great movie.”
Our thoughts go out to Zack and his family at this time.
