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Zack Snyder will not be finishing Justice League

The filmmaker has stepped down from directing the upcoming superhero blockbuster due to the sudden death of his daughter.

According to Hollywood Reporter, the film has now been passed on to Avengers directer Josh Whedon.

Autumn, Snyder's daughter, had died by suicide on March 20. The tragedy was kept private so as to not attract too much attention, even though the filmmaker took a two-week break from the project to deal with the event. Syder initially planned on returning to the film.

"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,” says Snyder, adding, “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.”

Deborah Snyder, wife of Zack Snyder and producer of Justice League, will also be backing out of the project for now.

Josh Whedon was already on board to helm his first DC movie about hero Batgirl but it looks like he'll be joining the DCverse early. Snyder is aware that fans might react to this news.

Says Snyder, “Here’s the thing, I never planned to make this public. I thought it would just be in the family, a private matter, our private sorrow that we would deal with. When it became obvious that I need to take a break, I knew there would be narratives created on the internet. They’ll do what they do. The truth is, I’m past caring about that kind of thing now.”

According to Snyder, things have been put in perspective. “I want the movie to be amazing, and I’m a fan, but that all pales pretty quickly in comparison," he says, “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."

Justice League has just a few additional scenes left to be shot, which are not as demanding from the director's side.

The film has not been delayed and will release on its given date, November 17.