The Hollywood Reporter is saying that Zack Snyder is stepping down from post-production on Justice League effective immediately. He will be replaced by Joss Whedon.
Snyder’s 20-year-old daughter Autumn committed suicide in March and he is leaving to spend more time with his family to help in dealing with the aftermath of the tragic event. Deborah Snyder, Zack’s wife and Autumn’s step-mother is also stepping away from her role as a producer on the project.
Whedon was hired to write additional scenes for the film in response to test screening of the film. The Avengers director will now take over on shooting those additional scenes in order for the film to make its November 17th scheduled release date. The studio states the work left to be done will be minimal and that Whedon’s scenes will be done to fit in Snyder’s vision for the film. No word on whether this will affect any other projects Snyder has scheduled for the future, but it is hard to imagine that it won’t.
As the father of an 8-year-old daughter, my heart goes out to Snyder and his family. This is a parent’s worse nightmare. There’s no doubt that he’s doing the right thing and I wish only the best for him and the Snyder family as they go through this difficult time.
