Before we go any further, let’s get one thing perfectly clear: I’m in no way championing the “Release the Snyder Cut” movement. Though I would watch an alternate version of Justice League if it one day found its way to home video, I know better than to hold my breath waiting for it. Warner Bros. have more important matters to attend to – like The Batman, Joker, Wonder Woman 1984 and The Suicide Squad, for instance – and need not look backward.
That said, I’ll forever remain a trivia junkie, so my ears are bound to perk whenever something such as today’s bit of news arises – especially when it pertains to Darkseid. As you may know, the ruler of Apokolips would’ve had a cameo role in Zack Snyder’s picture, thereby setting up his greater involvement in the ill-fated Justice League, Part Two.
If you’re someone who’s been keeping up with the various factoids surrounding the production, then you probably know how Ray Porter had been enlisted as the voice of Darkseid. But according to cinematographer Fabian Wagner, a different actor played him for scenes physically shot in Los Angeles.
At the time of this writing, it remains unknown who did the physical work for the role, so hopefully that info comes out sooner rather than later. If I had to draw a parallel, this is kind of like how Bradley Cooper voiced Rocket Raccoon for Marvel Studios, but Sean Gunn did the mocap.
Something else worth mentioning is how Wagner said there were many visual effects shots missing when Snyder departed. This supports reports saying it’d take up to $40 million for WB to complete the Snyder Cut on their own, which is a big reason why that iteration of Justice League may forever lie on the cutting room floor. Like I was saying earlier, the studio isn’t going to sink big bucks into a movie that already bombed at the box office, with an alternate cut being supported by a vocal minority. I mean, we can hope for otherwise, but let’s be realists here.