How The Possible Snyder Cut Theatrical Release Could Give Us An R-Rated Batman

Ever since the original Justice League film — starring Henry Cavill, Gal Gadot, Ben Affleck, Ray Fisher, Jason Mamoa, and Ezra Miller as the famed super-team — hit theaters in 2017, fans have been clamoring to see the formerly mythical Snyder Cut, a version of the film cut together by Zack Snyder before he left the project following the death of his daughter. Joss Whedon stepped up to finish the film, which reportedly features only a fraction of Snyder's directorial work and is much different than what Snyder intended for the movie to actually be. For quite a long time, Warner Bros. insisted that the Snyder Cut didn't exist — and it didn't, at least not a fully fleshed-out, watchable version of Justice League assembled by the original director. In 2020, however, things changed.

Back in May, Warner Bros. confirmed that an official Snyder Cut of Justice League would be premiering on HBO Max in 2021, to be released as four separate episodes that will later be stitched together as a four-hour film. Since then, an official trailer for the film has been released, but no official release date has been announced (rumors of the movie hitting HBO Max on September 5, 2021 are untrue, according to representatives who spoke to ScreenRant).

As the hype continues to build around the project, Snyder is revealing more and more about what's in store for audiences who tune in for his version of Justice League. Now, in an exclusive interview with Entertainment Weekly, the filmmaker disclosed his hopes for Warner Bros. to release Zack Snyder's Justice League in theaters at the same time the film arrives on HBO Max. Even more interesting is the movie's possible R rating, which it might receive for a very specific reason: a profanity-loving Batman.

In the interview with EW, Snyder shared that he and Warner Bros. executives are holding conversations about a possible theatrical release of his version of Justice League: "I'm a huge fan and a big supporter of the cinematic experience, and we're already talking about Justice League playing theatrically at the same time it's coming to HBO Max. So weirdly, it's the reverse [of the trend]."

He also explained that the Snyder Cut of Justice League is likely looking at an R-rating. "Here's one piece of information nobody knows: The movie is insane and so epic and is probably rated R — that's one thing I think will happen, that it will be an R-rated version, for sure," Snyder said. However, he admitted that it's just an inkling for now, since executives at the Motion Picture Association haven't said anything one way or the other. "We haven't heard from the MPAA, but that's my gut," the director noted.

Going into further detail about why the film would possibly earn this rating, Snyder revealed that a more intense version of Ben Affleck's Batman will definitely be a factor. According to the filmmaker, "there's one scene where Batman drops an F-bomb," while Cyborg "tends to speak his mind" and "Steppenwolf is pretty much just hacking people in half." Based on all of that, Justice League is looking at an R-rating due to "violence and profanity."

This news is somewhat unsurprising given the gritty feeling that the Snyder Cut trailer gives off, plus the promise that the new Justice League will tell a darker, more intense story. Along with the harder rating (the original Justice League is rated PG-13), the Snyder Cut will also include many storylines cut out of the original theatrical release — including more of Cyborg, Kiersey Clemons' debut as Iris West, and the long-awaited black Superman suit. 

For fans who have pushed for the Snyder Cut for years, 2021 can't come fast enough.