When someone you care for dies, it can be hard to carry on. When that person passes away suddenly, it can be even harder. When it is your own flesh and blood, your own child, it can be devastating. Anyone that can pick up the pieces and hold their life together during and immediately after such a tragic event deserves respect because they have shown a strength that many don’t have.
Zack Snyder did just that….he held himself together long enough to finish initial production of Justice League after the loss of his daughter. Autumn was 20, attending college, writing a sci-fi novel, and was interested in helping the homeless. She had a promising life ahead of her.
Zack took two weeks off after the tragedy then returned to work. He told The Hollywood Reporter his reason for returning to work so quickly;
“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. 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… I want the movie to be amazing and I’m a fan, but that all pales pretty quickly in comparison. I know the fans are going to be worried about the movie, but there are seven other kids that need me. In the end, it’s just a movie. It’s a great movie. But it’s just a movie.”
Before leaving the set, Zack Snyder contacted Joss Whedon and asked him to write additional scenes and step in as director.
According to Warner Bros. Pictures president Toby Emmerich, “The directing is minimal and it has to adhere to the style and tone and the template that Zack set. We’re not introducing any new characters. It’s the same characters in some new scenes. He’s handing a baton to Joss but the course has really been set by Zack. I still believe that despite this tragedy, we’ll still end up with a great movie.”
We wish him and his family the best. I can only imagine the pain they must be going through.
