Batman v Superman Theatrical Release Was Sabotaged By WB Cuts Says Writer

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice screenwriter Chris Terrio says the film was sabotaged by cuts from Warner Bros. The second film in Zack Snyder’s DCEU slate, Batman v Superman was primed to bring together three of the franchise’s most popular heroes for a major confrontation. Henry Cavill had made his debut as Superman in Man of Steel, with Ben Affleck and Gal Gadot set to debut as Batman and Wonder Woman in the new film. What started out as a promising extension of the DCEU was quickly undercut by studio turmoil and reception to the movie.

Batman v Superman was panned by critics who deemed the film a grim slog that didn’t spend enough time establishing any of its characters or their motivations. The film earned $873 million at the box office, falling short of what WB likely hoped would be a $1 billion haul. Even though an Ultimate Edition of Batman v Superman was released to much more positive reception, the damage had been done and things weren’t looking good for the upcoming Justice League film, set to release the next year.

Terrio seems to think that this all could’ve been avoided. The screenwriter tells Vanity Fair that cuts to Batman v Superman ordered by WB executives undermined what would’ve  been a solid picture. Studio officials demanded 30 minutes of Batman V Superman be cut, likely to increase the amount of showings the film could have in a day. These cuts ultimately sabotaged the narrative, according to Terrio, likely leading to the negative reception of the film.

If you took 30 minutes out of Argo, as they were from Batman/Superman, it would make zero sense at all. Critics would say, ‘what a lazy screenplay,’ because the characters don’t have motivations and it’s not coherent. And I would agree with them.

It’s fair to say that these cuts seemed to have led to years of turmoil for the Warner Bros. and the DCEU. Their hesitancy in following through on Snyder’s vision could’ve been the deciding factor in the DCEU’s current positioning. While the studio has seen success with films like Aquaman and Wonder Woman 1984, the franchise has been at a standstill since the release of Justice League in 2017. Much of the conversation around the DCEU has been about restoring the SnyderVerse and letting Snyder release his version of Justice League.

Now that that’s done, the studio is looking to the future. They’ve expressed no desire to continue on with Snyder’s vision and have announced a veritable slate of upcoming projects, including a Superman reboot. Fans, though, have other ideas in mind, with many hoping that they will continue on with the SnyderVerse after the Snyder Cut’s success. Snyder began laying the groundwork for his DCEU plans in Batman v Superman and he gave fans a glimpse into what the future could look like, but it’s clear that the DCEU and its fans remain divided in terms of what the right move is for the future of the franchise.