Zack Snyder has stepped down from 'Justice League' to grieve for his late daughter.
Zack Snyder
The 51-year-old filmmaker - whose daughter Autumn died by suicide in March - has confirmed he will be "stepping back" from the upcoming DC Comics movie, which is currently in post-production, whilst his wife Deborah Snyder - who is a producer on Justice League - will be taking a break from working on the movie.
He said: "In my mind, I thought it was a cathartic thing to go back to work, to just bury myself and see if that was the way through it. The demands of this job are pretty intense. It is all-consuming. And in the last two months, I've come to the realisation ... I've decided to take a step back from the movie to be with my family, be with my kids, who really need me. They are all having a hard time. I'm having a hard time ...
"Here's the thing, I never planned to make this public. I thought it would just be in the family, a private matter, our private sorrow that we would deal with. When it became obvious that I need to take a break, I knew there would be narratives created on the internet. They'll do what they do. The truth is ... I'm past caring about that kind of thing now."
Snyder - who directed the flick - has now handed the reigns over to Joss Whedon, who will "adhere to the style and tone and the template that Zack set".
Warner Bros. Pictures president Toby Emmerich added to the Hollywood Reporter: "What they are going through is unimaginable, and my heart - our hearts - go out to them ...
"The directing is minimal and it has to adhere to the style and tone and the template that Zack set. We're not introducing any new characters. It's the same characters in some new scenes. He's handing the baton to Joss, but the course has really been set by Zack. I still believe that despite this tragedy, we'll still end up with a great movie."
It is thought 'Justice League's November 17 release date will not be affected by Snyder stepping down.
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