DC’s big-ticket supergroup unites in the Justice League trailer that debuted Saturday, though director Zack Snyder has been working on forming this heroic team for much longer.

“The thing that’s awesome about these icons is that a lot of them we haven’t seen in the movies before on the big screen,” Snyder says of the newer superheroes in Justice League (in theaters Nov. 17) such as seafaring warrior Aquaman (Jason Momoa), cybernetic newcomer Cyborg (Ray Fisher) and the super-speedy Flash (Ezra Miller).

“It’s kinda fun to really let (the actors) stretch their legs and inhabit those characters,” the filmmaker adds. “It is a process to make a team out of this group of individuals, but for the greater good maybe they can put their differences aside.”

Fresh heroes, new roles in Zack Snyder's 'Justice League'

Snyder gave quick glimpses at the three rookies in last year’s hit Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, which brought together DC’s high-profile trinity of good guys: Batman (Ben Affleck), Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) and Superman (Henry Cavill).

Batman takes the lead in putting together a new super-team to protect Earth. “He’s been a loner for certainly his crime-fighting career, maybe with the exception of Robin,” Snyder says. “When we meet him in BvS, he’s definitely at this low point of isolation. That was always our intention, that Justice League would be this continuation for Batman to evolve into a more complete hero.”

Wonder Woman has her own movie coming out June 2, an origin story of sorts that will “flesh out and realize (her island home) Themyscira and embrace canon with her and get all the elements to mash up that I love from the original stories,” says Snyder, who’s also a producer on Wonder Woman. “But also we’ll see that dovetail into not only the why of BvS, but even now the why of Justice League and who she is finally realized. We know now where she comes from.”

When it comes to the new guys, “they’re each such awesome personalities in the movie,” Snyder promises. “You have Jason stomping around as this inked hairy man, just this mythic figure. And you’ve got Ezra, who’s full of life and hilarious and all over the place and amazing — a really fun and also poignant Flash. And Ray’s story is in a lot of the ways the heart of the movie.”

So what about Superman, who was in a casket at the end of Dawn of Justice? “It’s hard to have a Justice League without Superman. That’s how I feel about it,” Snyder says with a laugh.

Zack Snyder navigates 'rocky road' of 'Batman v Superman'

He knew BvS was going to act as a Justice League prequel, and Snyder remembers early discussions about figuring out what part the Man of Steel needs to play.

“It was always a super-intriguing concept to me to have this opportunity to have him make that sacrifice but also have him be this, in a weird sort of way, the why of Justice League: What do you do now with him? What does the team think? What does the world need?” Snyder says. “All that comes into play. It’s fun for us but it’ll be interesting for audiences what we do with him.”

Evidently, it’s stood him in good stead. He notes how Zack Snyder paid “homage” to Boorman’s film in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.  “They were great fans of Excalibur, Zack and his team. Maybe that’s how I got the role [in Justice League]! Who knows? There’s a bit when they’re walking in Gotham City and suddenly on a marquee of a cinema you see Excalibur playing.” Then there was the moment Superman is impaled by a large spear. “That’s exactly what happened in Excalibur, with Nigel Terry [who played King Arthur] pierced by Mordred.”

Some internet critics have dubbed the 64-year-old Hinds an odd pick to play Steppenwolf in Justice League, given that the character, who first appeared in DC Comics in 1971, is a buff alien warrior. But actually Hinds performed the role via motion-capture, a first for him, with cameras strapped to him and his body sheathed in a “very tight and embarrassing” suit covered with sensors. “Basically they’re going to construct something, digitally, and then they will use my eyes and mouth.”

Hinds even reveals just what we can expect from the planet-snatching Steppenwolf, an underling to the yet-to-be-seen Darkseid. “He’s old, tired, still trying to get out of his own enslavement to Darkseid, [but] he has to keep on this line to try and take over worlds.”

#JusticeLeague #UniteTheLeague

“I found that the scene I did, which is a big opening scene, was pretty dark in its tone. But in a good way. It wasn’t comic booky, but I think you can thread a certain amount of humor through it, which maybe the previous one was lacking”.

Diane Lane is poised to play a supermom for the third time.

She'll reprise her role as Martha Kent, mother of Superman (Henry Cavill), in November's Justice League, and was able to share a little about her time on the set of the Zack Snyder film.

"I don't think I'm allowed to talk much about it. But it was good for me, selfishly, to have a reunion with everyone and meeting some of the new characters," Lane told The Hollywood Reporter Friday at a women's filmmaker luncheon, presented by Chanel and the Tribeca Film Festival.

Though the most recent Justice League trailer set the internet ablaze last month, Lane hasn't seen it yet. But she does have thoughts on another soon-to-be DC Extended Universe mom to a superhero: Nicole Kidman, who has been cast as Atlanna, mother to Jason Momoa's Aquaman.

"I want a scene with Nicole, that's what I really want. Perhaps in another [sequel]!" she said on Friday at the Odeon in New York City. As for fans who have noted that Kidman (49), is too young to play mother to Momoa (37), Lane said with a laugh: "Well, I set that precedent!"

One of the more controversial moments in last year's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice came when Ben Affleck's Batman decided not to kill Superman, after the Kryptonian alien said, "You're letting him kill Martha." (Superman's mother had been kidnapped, but Batman was confused, as that was also the name of his late mother.) Though memes have been made of the moment, Lane wasn't surprised when she first read it in the script and found it appropriate for the story.

"It's the compassion for a man who's lost his mother. When you understand the wound, you can work better with people," said Lane.

Justice League opens Nov. 17.

Superheroes have always been about doing the right thing in the hardest of circumstances. Now Zack Snyder, one of the biggest filmmakers in the genre and the director of Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice and the upcoming Justice League, finds himself in just such a situation.

Snyder tells The Hollywood Reporter he is stepping away from Justice League, Warner Bros.’ all-star DC Comics superhero mega-movie that is in postproduction, in order to deal with the sudden death of his daughter. Snyder's wife, Deborah Snyder, who is a producer on Justice League, also is taking a break to focus on the healing of their family.

Stepping in to shepherd the movie through post and the shooting of some additional scenes will be Joss Whedon, the Avengers filmmaker and creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. With Whedon's help, the movie is still on track for its Nov. 17 release date.

Snyder’s daughter, Autumn Snyder, died by suicide in March at age 20. Her death has been kept private, with only a small inner circle aware of what happened, even as the movie was put on a two-week break for the Snyders to deal with the immediate effects of the tragedy. Zack Snyder says he initially was eager to return to the film, which stars Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot, Jason Momoa and Ezra Miller.

“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.”

The studio is fully behind the move. “What they are going through is unimaginable, and my heart — our hearts — go out to them," says Warner Bros. Pictures president Toby Emmerich.

One of the first things the studio floated was the possibility of pushing back the release date of the movie, but the Snyders decided against that suggestion. Warners also extended Snyder's first-look deal to give him time to work on other planned projects when he returns to work.

Snyder, after screening a rough cut of Justice League for fellow filmmakers and friends, wanted to add additional scenes, so he brought Whedon on board to write them. But as he prepared to shoot the scenes in England, Snyder realized it was not the time to leave home. “The directing is minimal and it has to adhere to the style and tone and the template that Zack set,” says Emmerich. “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.”

This isn’t the first time that Warner Bros. has had to deal with the unthinkable affecting a high-profile DC movie. In 2008, Heath Ledger passed away after shooting had wrapped for The Dark Knight but prior to the movie being finished and released. The tragedy put the studio and filmmaker Christopher Nolan in a very delicate position of balancing mourning with the demands of releasing a tentpole.

The internet and comic book movie fans being what they are, Snyder already is anticipating what what some DC loyalists may think.

“Here’s the thing, I never planned to make this public,” he says. “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 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.”

The death of Autumn, Zack's daughter from his first marriage (in addition to Autumn, he and Deborah have been raising seven kids and step-kids), has brought a new perspective and a new focus for him. “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."

Autumn, who was attending Sarah Lawrence College, loved “to write, to write, to write,” says Deborah. Their daughter had written a sci-fi fantasy novel in the first person. It featured a character who was an outsider and who had trouble fitting in.

Deborah is holding onto the thought that she was the first person her daughter gave the book to read, even now as the story takes on a new meaning under the circumstances. “You’re hearing her voice,” Deborah says, fighting back tears. 

The Snyders would like to someday see that manuscript published, with the proceeds going to a charity. “In the end, she didn’t make it, but her character does, and I think there would be something cathartic for people,” says Zack.

The thought of his daughter’s writing prompts Zack to recall another memory. Autumn had a quote that she included in everything she wrote. (“Every. Single. Thing,” chuckles Zack.) It’s from author Chuck Palahniuk: “We all die. The goal isn't to live forever, the goal is to create something that will.”

“Maybe this helps,” Zack says.

Zack's awesome in all stages - directing editing and storytelling in Watchmen and BvS UE. With Whedon, it might feel too pop-ish, kiddy and Disney, just like most Avengers films. Oh well, we can't win 'em all.

gal_gadot
You have created so much that will last forever. Wonderful things.
Your values are left in your movies , your friends and most of all your special beautiful family. The love you have for people, kindness and selflessness are your legacy to us.
Thank you Zack. Love you always .

Art-house star Ezra Miller (The Perks of Being a Wallflower) related to rookie superhero Barry Allen the moment he walked on the Justice League set to play the Flash.

“He’s this really endearing, altruistic nerd,” Miller says. “He’s the 13-year-old Metallica fan, and Metallica says, ‘We lost our drummer in a freak accident. We need you to play drums, bro!’ I don’t even have drumsticks!” Though the film’s plot is a guarded secret, the Flash will join DC’s most powerful heroes to fight a cosmic threat, hopefully with Wonder Woman on lead guitar and Batman on bass.

Justice League opens in theaters on Nov. 17.