'Justice League' Rumor: Extensive Reshoots Have Completely 'Remade' The Movie

Reshoots are a part of the movie-making business. And it can seem overzealous to simply report on the fact that reshoots are happening — trust me, I'm as tired of these kind of stories as you are, especially when they act like this is something out of the ordinary. In many cases, they're a good thing and help make a good movie great. But when reports say that Justice League has essentially been "remade...twice" after "significant" reshoots, and is looking at even more reshoots down the barrel, that's seems — well — significant.

Splash Report cites an anonymous source that claims that since Justice League wrapped production in October 2016, the tentpole DC Extended Universe film has been plagued with reshoots, with Warner Bros. putting nearly all their resources into completely overhauling the movie. The website claims:

Speaking on a condition of anonymity, [our source] said that in the 17 months between the start of principal photography and the final cut arriving in theaters in November that the film will have essentially been "remade...twice." 

And the studio is not done. In addition to reshoots and on-the-spot rewrites — which star and producer Ben Affleck had reportedly ordered when he arrived on the Justice League set — Warner Bros. has scheduled even more additional photography. The source told Splash Report:

"There are more reshoots COMING SOON. There have been a bunch but they're going to do MORE."

The movie, which hits theaters this November, wrapped production in October last year, but has been undergoing reshoots well into this spring, which Splash Report gleaned from star Jason Momoa's delayed Aquaman solo film (originally set to hit theaters July 27, 2018 and then October 5, 2018, it is now aiming for a December 21, 2018 release), as well as his recently cancelled Oz Comic-Con appearance in March.

In fact, Justice League had a shaky production from the start, starting its schedule off the heels of the critical lambasting of Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice. Warner Bros. had no time to regroup from what they expected to be a massive hit and instead was a critical bomb, making only a net profit of $105.7 million, according to Deadline. With the same creative group that spearheaded Batman v. Superman  helming Justice League, Warner Bros. placed DC Entertainment president Geoff Johns and production executive Jon Berg  in charge of the DC films and reportedly removed Zack Snyder — who directed Man of Steel, Batman v. Superman and was the de facto creative force behind the DCEU — from the top of the chain of command. Oscar-nominated directors Affleck and George Miller were also made producers of Justice League.

But all those creative safeguards couldn't save the film from extensive reshoots. Another DCEU film, Suicide Squad, went through the same process — undergoing massive reshoots that resulted in "six or seven" different versions of the movie, according to the Hollywood Reporter. The version that ultimately made it to the public was blasted by critics for its scattered and messy vision.

Justice League may yet be saved from the same fate. Rogue One was a success story, a blockbuster that underwent major reshoots and was ultimately well-received by critics and the box office. As we mentioned at the top of this post: reshoots should usually be seen as a sign that filmmakers want to make a movie better.Justice League is set to hit theaters November 17, 2017.