Zack Snyder Finally Receives Huge Honor, But Not For Justice League
Good for him.
This article is more than 2 years old
Fans hoping for Zack Snyder’s Justice League to be honored with an Oscar were disappointed when they learned that, as reported by Variety, it was ineligible. Since it’s technically an altered version of a film released in 2017, it couldn’t earn any nominations, even though there’s a big argument to be made that comparing the two movies is like comparing a Happy Meal to a perfectly prepared steak. But that doesn’t mean Zack Snyder left the evening without an award. His zombie heist film Army of the Dead earn the Academy’s new “Oscars Fan Favorite” award.
It’s no mistake that Army of the Dead took home the prize. In February, Zack Snyder posted a link on his Vero account, encouraging fans to vote for the zombie/heist mash-up. Considering the very existence of Zack Snyder’s Justice League is proof of how the director can rally online support, it’s no surprise Army of the Dead got the necessary votes. According to People, Amazon’s live-action Cinderella came in second place. Johnny Depp’s biopic Minamata came in third, which is particularly impressive considering it wasn’t released in the US until last month. Spider-Man: No Way Home nabbed fourth place, with Tick, Tick… Boom! in fifth.
That wasn’t the only honor Zack Snyder enjoyed at the 94th Academy Awards. While Zack Snyder’s Justice League wasn’t eligible for a Best Picture, the moment in the film when Ezra Miller’s Flash enters the Speed Force won the Oscar Cheer Moment. Its competition was pretty fierce, including the three versions of Spider-Man uniting in Spider-Man: No Way Home, the heroes coming together to fight Thanos in Avengers: Endgame, Effie White’s song in Dreamgirls, and Neo dodging gunfire like a pro in The Matrix.
Fans took to social media soon after the announcements to congratulate Zack Snyder. Along with celebrating the wins, some Twitter users couldn’t help but use what has turned out to be — for better or worse — the most memorable moment in the ceremony to represent the wins. We’re speaking, of course, of Will Smith taking the stage to slap Chris Rock.
The support from fans that Zack Snyder has been building for years doesn’t seem to be receding. Far from being placated with the release of Zack Snyder’s Justice League, the director’s supporters have since been campaigning with the help of the hashtag #RestoreTheSnyderVerse. In spite of the success of the Snyder Cut, 2017’s Justice League remains canon in DC’s cinematic universe, and Snyder fans aren’t having it. Hardly a single celebrity attached to Warner Bros’ DC-related projects can tweet about those projects without the director’s supporters trying to recruit them to the cause. Last year, there were rumors that Jason Momoa and Amber Heard were using their time on Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom to convince producers that the DCEU needed a course correction back Snyder’s vision.
If you haven’t seen Army of the Dead, the Zack Snyder film is streaming on Netflix. The anime prequel Army of the Dead: Lost Vegas is on the way on the streamer. After that, the director will be working on his project that was rejected by Star Wars — Rebel Moon.
