Zack Snyder thinks his Justice League will be rated R for "violence and profanity"

Zack Snyder Justice League
(Image credit: DC/Warner Bros.)

Zack Snyder’s Justice League might have seemed like an impossibility earlier this year, but it’s on its way – and will probably arrive some time in the next few months. So far, a slightly extended trailer has been released, as well as a look at Martian Manhunter and Steppenwolf’s new design. We also know that additional photography brought back Jared Leto’s Joker with a new look, and Joe Manganiello’s Deathstroke is also returning.

While the theatrical cut of Justice League had a very light hearted tone, the Snyder Cut is looking more in line with the director's other DCEU entries, Man of Steel and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (which is getting a remastered release before Justice League).

“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 told EW. “We haven't heard from the MPAA, but that's my gut.”

As for why the miniseries will potentially be R-rated, Snyder shared: “There's one scene where Batman drops an F-bomb. Cyborg is not too happy with what's going on with his life before he meets the Justice League, and he tends to speak his mind. And Steppenwolf is pretty much just hacking people in half. So [the rating would be due to] violence and profanity, probably both.”

It's been obvious since the outset of the Snyder Cut movement that Zack Snyder’s Justice League would be dramatically different from the theatrical release, and this just reaffirms that we’re essentially getting a whole new Justice League next year. Plus, Snyder said we might even get to see the heroes back on the big screen: “We're already talking about Justice League playing theatrically at the same time it's coming to HBO Max.”

While nothing has been confirmed yet, the HBO Max miniseries series sounds like it’s shaping up to be Snyder’s magnum opus, so a theatrical release would certainly make sense. The next DC project to be released is Wonder Woman 1984, which comes to cinemas in the UK on December 16 and then releases in the US on HBO Max and in theatres from December 25. Until then, check out our guide to watching DC movies in order to get all caught up.

Molly Edwards
Senior Entertainment Writer

I'm a Senior Entertainment Writer here at 12DOVE, covering all things film and TV for the site's Total Film and SFX sections. I previously worked on the Disney magazines team at Immediate Media, and also wrote on the CBeebies, MEGA!, and Star Wars Galaxy titles after graduating with a BA in English. 

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