Zack Snyder Talks Joss Whedon's Justice League "I Tried" Dig, James Gunn's DCU, and 300 Prequel

Zack Snyder Talks Joss Whedon's Justice League "I Tried" Dig, James Gunn's DCU, and 300 Prequel

The Last Photograph director Zack Snyder has shared his take on Justice League's "I Tried" scene, why he won't watch James Gunn's DCU movies and TV shows, and plans for his 300 prequel.

By JoshWilding - Sep 17, 2026 08:09 AM EST
Filed Under: Justice League

When Joss Whedon was tasked with writing and directing Justice League's reshoots, many fans reacted positively to the news. After all, he'd helmed The Avengers and Avengers: Age of Ultron for Marvel Studios and seemed the right person to "fix" the struggling DCEU.

Whedon's version of Justice League was a disaster, and ultimately a career-killer for the filmmaker, who has since been branded a bully by those who worked with him on this and other projects. 

Zack Snyder eventually released his "Snyder Cut," and it was widely hailed as a considerably better movie. His DC journey ended there, of course, and in an interview with Josh Horowitz, Snyder reiterated that he has no desire to watch Whedon's version. 

"I think when Debbie came back to me after watching [Whedon's] cut of Justice League, and she said, 'You are to never see that movie,' I knew it was kind of... that was it," Snyder explained. 

"And I thought, 'Okay, that's going to be the legacy. I haven't seen this, but I believe that in the title sequence of. I've seen it meme'd, so I'm not 100% sure how it works, but where it says 'Directed by Zack Snyder,' there is a homeless person who has, I think, a sign that says, 'I tried,' or something like that."

"And I find it really... I was like, wow, that's cool," he continued. "That's a good... like, if I hadn't done my Justice League, that would have been the end of it, right? So, you can imagine, that's cool."

Something Snyder doesn't seem to realise is that the homeless person holding the "I Tried" sign is shown on screen alongside Whedon's screenwriting credit. Many fans have interpreted that as The Avengers director's way of saying he tried—and failed—to save Justice League, not that it was any sort of homage to Snyder. If anything, it's been considered a dig at his fellow director.

Elsewhere in the interview, Snyder confirmed that he considered casting Jeffrey Dean Morgan as the Flashpoint Batman and mentioned that Guardians of the Galaxy star Zoe Saldana was nearly Man of Steel's Lois Lane.

He also explained again why he won't watch DC Studios projects like Superman, Supergirl, and Lanterns

"Honestly, it's a personal thing for me. I want success for them, and I trust James's aesthetic and his take," Snyder mused. "He has a very particular way of making movies and looking at things. It's a difficulty. It's just got a lot of baggage."

Horowitz also asked Snyder about his 300 prequel TV series, which he confirmed he intends to direct episodes of. He couldn't reveal any plot details, but confirmed that it won't borrow anything from his scrapped sequel. That revolved around the love between Alexander the Great and Hephaestion.

You can hear more from Snyder in the player below.

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TheNewYorkerr
TheNewYorkerr - 9/17/2026, 8:35 AM
I wish Zack Snyder would just stop. Stop talking, stop making shit, stop reliving the glory days.
HeavyMetal4Life
HeavyMetal4Life - 9/17/2026, 9:02 AM
@TheNewYorkerr - he is such a hack
JonAwesome
JonAwesome - 9/17/2026, 9:39 AM
@TheNewYorkerr - it’s because people keep asking him! That’s how interviews work.
dragon316
dragon316 - 9/17/2026, 9:52 AM
@TheNewYorkerr - blame people want interview ask him questions
ClarkJoeKent
ClarkJoeKent - 9/17/2026, 9:57 AM
@TheNewYorkerr - Hes talking cuz he has MILLIONS OF FANS! I know it must piss u off that Gunn cant get attention with PAID ADS & whenever Zack speaks or post something on social media HE GOES VIRAL His DCEU was profitable & those execs at WB was wrong. We all can see it on HBO MAX Gunns DC/Zacks DCEU & Zacks ages well. Great story, Costumes, Cast, Cinematography & Theme music. Hell be back in 2027.
Sector7
Sector7 - 9/17/2026, 10:07 AM
@ClarkJoeKent -
Good Luck With That...
ClarkJoeKent
ClarkJoeKent - 9/17/2026, 11:52 AM
@Sector7 - Hes already in talks with ABDY & DELUCA to do Dark Knight Returns & another film. Gunns/Safran contracts EXPIRE in Feb 2027! Luck & time is on my side.
TheRevelation
TheRevelation - 9/17/2026, 12:25 PM
@ClarkJoeKent - I mean...there's an AI ending on YouTube. I'm good.
Feralwookiee
Feralwookiee - 9/17/2026, 8:36 AM
"Something Snyder doesn't seem to realise is that the homeless person holding the "I Tried" sign is shown on screen alongside Whedon's screenwriting credit."

No one ever accused this guy of understanding subtext or being very bright. 🤪
ObserverIO
ObserverIO - 9/17/2026, 10:57 AM
@Feralwookiee - It's probably a good thing he doesn't get it. Last time he was angry at Joss Whedon he destroyed his career and name.
JobinJ
JobinJ - 9/17/2026, 8:38 AM
I am a huge fan of the Snyderverse.

Problem is that people just want more Marvel movies. He was trying to do something different, more mature.

I guess there weren't enough fart jokes.
Fogs
Fogs - 9/17/2026, 8:41 AM
@JobinJ - here we got that "so mature" argument again. More like "edgelordy" IMO.
Feralwookiee
Feralwookiee - 9/17/2026, 8:42 AM
@JobinJ - Yes. Snyder's movies were soooo mature.

User Comment Image 🤣
TemporarilyHere
TemporarilyHere - 9/17/2026, 8:50 AM
@JobinJ -

Name one fart joke in the MCU.
ClarkJoeKent
ClarkJoeKent - 9/17/2026, 9:59 AM
@Fogs - Funny Gunn is trying Zacks formula for his MOT....more mature etc😂😂
COPE-A-MANIA😂😂
Vigor
Vigor - 9/17/2026, 10:12 AM
@JobinJ - I don't know why people cant appreciate two things at once.
I enjoyed the Snyder movies and couldn't understand some of the criticisms such as superman killing (good for him!), and about aflecks batman whom to me had the best fight scenes of any batman. Ezra as flash was some weird stuff. But everything else was great

But I also adore the MCU TOO
JobinJ
JobinJ - 9/17/2026, 10:39 AM
@TemporarilyHere - it's a term for goofy humor, don't be so literal.
JobinJ
JobinJ - 9/17/2026, 10:40 AM
@Feralwookiee - but that wasn't a joke, not even close to a joke. It was sick and horrific especially because of what happened after.
Feralwookiee
Feralwookiee - 9/17/2026, 11:47 AM
@JobinJ - When did Lex piss in this jar and place it on the podium without anyone noticing this, including the senator who is standing right in front of it for minutes before she sees it?
How did he get a BOMB in a crippled guy's wheelchair through metal detectors and how does Supes not notice this? Was the wheelchair made with LEAD?

There was nothing sick or horrific in that scene imo. It was hilariously unintentionally funny and one the dumbest bits I've ever seen in a mainstream movie. 🤣
TemporarilyHere
TemporarilyHere - 9/17/2026, 11:52 AM
@JobinJ -

No, it's not. Lie better next time.
Lucasberg
Lucasberg - 9/17/2026, 12:02 PM
@Vigor - Similar to how I feel as well. Snyder had some glaring faults but his movies also had grand scale and a reverence for the icoonography of the Dc characters that might just be unmatched. And yeah, fan of the MCU as well. And cautiously hoping Gunn can still organize a proper DCU. lol
JobinJ
JobinJ - 9/17/2026, 12:41 PM
@TemporarilyHere - how is that lying??? lol. Grow up.
TemporarilyHere
TemporarilyHere - 9/17/2026, 12:44 PM
@JobinJ -

Either it was deliberate lying, or it was involuntary regurgitation of a pseudo-argument that you never bothered to check for yourself but were all too happy to repeat since it bashed a franchise you clearly abhor.

TLDR: Either you're a liar, or a gullible idiot.

So which one is it?
JobinJ
JobinJ - 9/17/2026, 2:14 PM
@TemporarilyHere - NO ONE IS SAYING THERE ARE ACTUAL FART JOKES. It's a phrase or verbiage people use to describe goofy or crude/childish humor.

I am guessing you are autistic (not an insult) because you take everything so literally and cannot perceive the nuance.
TemporarilyHere
TemporarilyHere - 9/17/2026, 2:25 PM
@JobinJ -

No one is saying what you literally just said?

I told you, lie better.
0bstreperous
0bstreperous - 9/17/2026, 8:45 AM
His superhero movies are his best works I haven't seen his zombie movies
HeavyMetal4Life
HeavyMetal4Life - 9/17/2026, 9:02 AM
@0bstreperous - Dawn of the Dead is his best film
0bstreperous
0bstreperous - 9/17/2026, 9:20 AM
@HeavyMetal4Life - wow it says it was written by James Gunn you think he'd have a higher opinion of the DCU
GeneralZod
GeneralZod - 9/17/2026, 12:15 PM
@0bstreperous - 300.
0bstreperous
0bstreperous - 9/17/2026, 12:46 PM
@GeneralZod - that was based on a Frank Miller comic
GeneralZod
GeneralZod - 9/17/2026, 2:37 PM
@0bstreperous - 💯
OneMoreTime
OneMoreTime - 9/17/2026, 8:51 AM
Coming From..............

User Comment Image
CAPTAINPINKEYE
CAPTAINPINKEYE - 9/17/2026, 8:53 AM
Both versions had their problems. I don’t ever need to watch those movies again.
TemporarilyHere
TemporarilyHere - 9/17/2026, 8:54 AM
To repeat what I was discussing with another user earlier this week:

"Less shit that admits it's shit is definitively less shitty than more shit that pretends it's not shit. [...] The only reason Snyder's ever got accepted as passable, let alone occasionally praised as great (my ass) was because A) it was an easy banner for folks to really behind and bash the whole shtick of studio intervention, and B) nobody dared to consider that maybe, just maybe, an arrogant cunt losing his child doesn't automatically make him less of a cunt."

Joss Whedon's is, by definition, the objectively better version. Even if it never could (and for some never should) be openly recognized as such.
Lucasberg
Lucasberg - 9/17/2026, 12:06 PM
@TemporarilyHere - I respect your courage of conviction. Also, you are tremendously wrong about Whedon's cut versus Snyder's. There's no contest. Whedon's was genuinely a hack job and severely uneven. Snyder's was consistent as a single unit.
TemporarilyHere
TemporarilyHere - 9/17/2026, 12:39 PM
@Lucasberg -

Thank you for being respectful, so let me provide a counter-example in a similar tone.

Imagine a car driving off a cliff. It goes through woods and gravel, breaking its windows, scratching its panels, and slashing its tires in the process. All the while, the car's sound system plays Rachmaninoff's 3rd with the driver screaming his lungs off over how awesome and badass he himself is, and how the rest of the world can go fuck themselves.

Now, imagine the splitting of two timelines:

1.: The car continues its course unencumbered, falling off a cliff and going out with a seconds-long bang, only for the coming rain to put the fire out and leave behind nothing but the charred remains of the vehicle and its passengers.

2.: The one riding shotgun kicks the driver's door off and shoves the aforementioned asshole out, before screaminn for a random passerby to jump in and demand they correct the course, resulting in a still destroyed mess of a ride, but with at least the passengers alive and well (minus the driver, for obvious reasons).

Now, I don't know about you, but between those two undeniably shitty drivers, I'm at least willing to tolerate with the one who didn't take my ears off with how much of an unenlightened jackass I supposedly am for not singing its praises.
Lucasberg
Lucasberg - 9/17/2026, 12:59 PM
@TemporarilyHere - hahaha

That was great illustration in your response.

There's no doubt in my mind that Whedon as a storyteller completely destroys Snyder OHMYGOSH ITS NOT EVEN CLOSE.

That said, Whedon's cut for JL isn't really even Whedon's - its like a Frankenstein of Snyder and last-minute-Whedon. More a studio cut than Whedon's. Snyder's cut at least conveys a singular vision and finishes the creation of its maker.

And visually, Snyder has always been much stronger than most as a filmmaker. The vision he carried out for JL is much the freak grander and satisfying than what the studio decided to patch together after letting Snyder go.

Honestly, even though I defend Snyder's achievements to a point, Snyder was wrong for the job as director and steward of the DC universe. Snyder is one of the greatest eyes EVER in Hollywood with the camera but honest to goodness he's kind of out of his depth as a storyteller when he directs which is thee central component to create grand comic book movie blockbusters.
CarpesDiems
CarpesDiems - 9/17/2026, 8:59 AM
i loved 300 and i adore his take of wachtmen and sucker punch it s one of my guilty pleasures, you cant deny that dude has style.. i loved MOS for what it was besides some controversial choices.. but he went to dark with JL for my taste
LoudLon
LoudLon - 9/17/2026, 9:36 AM
@CarpesDiems - I agree that Snyder is a talented director. I love Watchmen, and was surprised at how good his Dawn of the Dead was (Romero's original is my favorite film, I fully expected to despise the remake.)

He's just a bad writer. Let him direct whatever he wants, just keep him away from the script.
vegetaray
vegetaray - 9/17/2026, 9:03 AM
Is this the only thing he has to hang on to at this point? It’s been nearly a decade ffs………………….
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