Justice League: Jason Momoa On Surprising Fan Reaction To Zack Snyder’s Cut

Aquaman in the Snyder Cut

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What first seemed like a fan dream became a reality this year when Zack Snyder’s Justice League arrived on HBO Max. At long last the titular filmmaker’s vision was released to the masses, and it was a sprawling four-hour epic. Jason Momoa’s Aquaman got plenty of more action, and now the Game of Thrones actor has explained the surprising way that fans have reacted to the Snyder Cut.

Justice League served as Jason Momoa’s first starring role in the DCEU, introducing his hulking version of Arthur Curry to moviegoing audiences. But the story was cut down in the theatrical cut, with Zack Snyder’s including more of Mera and Willem Dafoe’s Vulko. For Momoa’s part, he’s seemingly surprised that fans are so gobsmacked by how the additional footage fleshed out the story. As he recently put it,

Listen, I love Zack. That’s kind of what I signed up for, eight years ago, to have his vision. The cool thing about that four-hour piece is that I didn’t reshoot anything, that was all there. So it’s interesting when people come up and they’re like ‘Oh I really love this, and it was so detailed and it explains so much.’ I’m like ‘Yeah, that’s what we went and shot.’ I didn’t have to redo anything.

Touche. Zack Snyder only had very limited reshoots for Justice League, adding in the new Knightmare scene and Bruce Wayne’s final coda. Jason Momoa didn’t participate in these scenes, so everything you see in The Snyder Cut was what the actor originally anticipated making to theaters. Which is why he’s not quite as shocked as the general public.

Jason Momoa’s comments come from his recent appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, where he spoke about his time in the DC Extended Universe. Like Snyder himself, it seems Jason Momoa was happy to see the full vision of Zack Snyder’s Justice League finally see the light of day. And the cuts truly feel like two very different movies.

Zack Snyder’s Justice League is available exclusively on HBO Max, which also features the theatrical cut. You can use this link to sign up for the streaming service.

Later in that same interview, Jason Momoa went on to speak to the reception for Zack Snyder’s four-hour vision for Justice League. While some moviegoers winced at this lengthy runtime, Momoa defended the six-chapter story by saying:

I’m really happy we got to release his art and a lot of fans are happy. The truth of it is I like the four-hours. Normally we watch shows, it’s just a four-part series. So I like the extended [cut], and spending time with the characters.

Personally, I watched Zack Snyder’s Justice League over two days, giving myself the time to enjoy the epic story without feeling tired. Jason Momoa seems to look at the streaming event as a series as well. And as he said, the characters of the movie truly felt more fleshed out.

Indeed, the four-hour runtime of Justice League allowed for a much better understanding of each superhero. Aquaman’s underwater world gets more attention, and Mera got a gnarly new attack on Steppenwolf in the process. Although technically these events aren’t part of the official DCEU canon.

Jason Momoa will return to the DCEU in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, which is currently expected to hit theaters on December 16th, 2022. In the meantime, check out the 2021 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.

Corey Chichizola
Movies Editor

Corey was born and raised in New Jersey. Graduated with degrees theater and literature from Ramapo College of New Jersey. After working in administrative theater for a year in New York, he started as the Weekend Editor at CinemaBlend. He's since been able to work himself up to reviews, phoners, and press junkets-- and is now able to appear on camera with some of his favorite actors... just not as he would have predicted as a kid. He's particularly proud of covering horror franchises like Scream and Halloween, as well as movie musicals like West Side Story. Favorite interviews include Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, Jamie Lee Curtis, and more.