Incredibly sad news has come in this afternoon, with reports that Zack Snyder has decided to step down from this coming November’s superhero team-up Justice League.

Snyder told The Hollywood Reporter that he would be stepping away from WB’s giant tentpole, and arguably their biggest release of the year, in order to spend more time with his family in the wake of the death of their 20 year old daughter Autumn – who took her own life in March.

Zack and Deborah Snyder had kept this unspeakable tragedy private, and Snyder stated that after a two-week break in the production, he had initially planned to return, but…I’ll just let Snyder’s words speak for themselves:

“In my mind, I thought it was a cathartic thing to go back to work, to just bury myself and see if that was way through it,” says an emotional Snyder in an interview Monday in his office on the Warner Bros. lot with Deborah sitting by his side. “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.”

THR reports that Joss Whedon, who is currently in the planning stages for a Batgirl feature film, will step in to finish the production in Snyder’s stead, overseeing the filming of some additional scenes in England and post-production.

But really, none of that matters now. I just wanted to take the opportunity to express the deepest sympathies of everyone on Team Beat to the Snyder family. No parent should ever have to bury their child, and we hope in time they’re able to find some modicum of healing.

Autumn Snyder was a writer who, while attending Sarah Lawrence College, wrote a first-person science fiction novel. The Snyders hope to one day publish that manuscript with the proceeds going to charity.

 

7 COMMENTS

  1. Gut Punch. I know there are a lot of detractors for Snyder but I pray for them they will keep it in check out of simple respect and dignity. Death of a child is horrible but more so when it is suicide.

  2. Daniel Smith said: “I know there are a lot of detractors for Snyder but I pray for them they will keep it in check out of simple respect and dignity.”

    If you want to see humanity at its worst, look at the comments at YouTube (the internet’s top hangout for assholes). Gloating, cheering, bad jokes, and “HA HA HA HA! GO MARVEL!”

    I hope anyone who posts such comments here will be banned for life.

  3. Horrible to hear. The new year began for me with similar news of a family member and seeing how it affected her family. My condolences to him and his family in this obviously difficult moment

  4. Devastating news. Condolences to Snyder and his family. If only his daughter could have seen the bright future she probably would have had. So sad for all parties involved.

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