Justice League director Zack Snyder says he would rather ‘set the film on fire’ than re-use footage shot by Joss Whedon

‘I would literally blow that f***ing thing up’

Justice League director Zack Snyder has said he would “set [the film] on fire” before using any footage shot by Joss Whedon.

Snyder is currently assembling an extended director’s cut of the 2017 superhero thriller, after Whedon stepped in to take over direction partway through the making of the original.

The so-called “Snyder Cut” will be released on US streaming service HBO Max.

Talking to an online Justice-Con panel which was organised by fans, Snyder said he ”would destroy the movie” before using any of Whedon’s segments.

“I would set it on fire before I use a single frame that I did not photograph. I would literally blow that f***ing thing up,” he continued.

Whedon was brought in to complete production on Justice League after Snyder stepped down amid reported creative differences between himself and Warner Brothers studio, and personal tragedy following the death of his daughter, Autumn, in March 2017.

Whedon’s version of the film was poorly received by critics, and Justice League fans campaigned for the release of the “Snyder Cut” in the aftermath of the film’s release.

Snyder recently confirmed that the film would last over 214 minutes – almost four hours – making it nearly double the length of Whedon’s original.

Justice League actor Ray Fisher, who played the character of Cyborg, recently accused Whedon of “gross” and “abusive” behaviour on the set of the film.

Fisher wrote on Twitter that the “on-set treatment of the cast and crew of Justice League was gross, abusive, unprofessional, and completely unacceptable”.

The Independent reached out to Whedon’s representatives for a response to the comments.