Zack Snyder steps down from ‘Justice League’ due to family tragedy

As the world braces for the arrival of “Wonder Woman” this June and the eventual release of “Justice League” in November, “Batman v Superman” and “Watchmen” director Zack Snyder has officially announced that he is stepping away from working on “Justice League” to concentrate on his family after daughter Autumn died by suicide in March.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Snyder says he’s taking a break from post-production work on the superhero team movie, which sees Ben Affleck’s Batman and Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman uniting a team of metahumans to fight against an upcoming threat. Joining him of course will be his wife Deborah Snyder, who is also a producer on Justice League but is taking time off to help be with their family at this difficult time.

“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,” Snyder told The Hollywood Reporter. “The demands of this job are pretty intense. It is all-consuming. And in the last two months, I’ve come to the realization … 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.”

Snyder’s daughter with ex-wife Denise Weber, Autumn was attending Sarah Lawrence College when the news of her death hit her family hard. Things were kept private initially and "Justice League" was put on a two-week break for the Snyders to deal with the tragedy. Now Zack and Deborah are taking a much-needed break while leaving the last line of work in very capable hands.

Stepping in to help with Justice League in Snyder’s absence will be "Buffy The Vampire Slayer" creator Joss Whedon, who directed the first two Avengers films for Marvel Studios: “The Avengers” (2012) and “Avengers: Age of Ultron” (2015). With Warner Bros.' blessing, Whedon is officially hired to take care of post-production business and shoot additional scenes, putting "Justice League" on course for its intended November 2017 release date. — BM, GMA News