When the reasons behind Zack Snyder's short-term departure from Justice League became clear, there was no doubt that the filmmaker had every right to put his priorities in order. As far as the movie was concerned, it left Joss Whedon in the strange position having to fulfill his predecessor's vision, but also bring some of his own sensibilities to the table.
Given a brilliant early reaction from some screenings to critics, the DCEU title shapes as a coming of age for Warner Brothers and DC who are desperately hoping for another Wonder Woman and not a BvS fiasco. Speaking with SFX Magazine, Ben Affleck explained how the PG-13 feature will follow in much the same footsteps as their Marvel ensemble counterparts for style and substance.
Affleck: Joss Fits These Weird and Wonderful Pieces Together
Whedon's transition would be made easier since his involvement in another DC property Batgirl was made public. Yet it would be his directing and writing roles in the MCU that provided the ideal platform to make Justice League a smash, according to Affleck.
"Joss just brought to the movie what good directors bring, which is good taste," he argued. "A sense of what's gonna work in the story and what isn't. An instinct for realism and for finding the humanity in the characters and the humanity in the conflict, then making it accessible and relevant. I think that's one of the things he did so well with Avengers, frankly. He really defined the tone, and it felt like a lot of the movies after that sort of fell into that tone that he created."
An ensemble epic like this is hard to pull off, given the inclusion of Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, the Flash and Cyborg. Affleck says that Whedon's guidance to prioritize the story made that task much more simple.
"It was a very tricky dance where you have all these people who can do all these fantastic things that's completely absurd on the face of it, and yet, a good storyteller like Joss brings us in, makes us identify with them, makes them seem real, and makes it interesting. A lot of guys know the comic books, a lot of people have that knowledge base. What Joss really has is talent."
Aquaman Finds Himself in Hot Water
When Jason Momoa was on a panel for Comic-Con, he was caught on camera making a distasteful rape joke. This would be in reference to one scene shot on Game of Thrones.
"As far as sci-fi and fantasy, I love that genre because there are so many things you can do, like rip someone’s tongue out of their throat and get away with it, and rape beautiful women."
With a huge public fallout, Warner Brothers would stand by the action star as Momoa took to Instagram to issue an apology.
"I awoke in Australia to the justified reactions by many people to a distasteful joke I made years ago in Hall H for which I am sorry. I am still severely disappointed in myself at the insensitivity of my remarks that day. I know my sincerest apology now won’t take away those hurtful words. Rape and sexual harassment can reach anyone and I have seen first hand its painful torment among members of my own family and friends. I made a truly tasteless comment. It is unacceptable and I sincerely apologize with a heavy heart for the words I said."
The actor had gone on record before with the New York Post outlining how tough that particular scene was to shoot.
"I’m raping Emilia (Clarke - Daenerys). I love her, but I’m hurting her and she’s crying. We could have made it longer, but you get the idea. I’m not a rapist! I prefer my women to enjoy sex … Just do whatever your woman wants, and you’ll be fine."
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