Joss Whedon wanted a funny opener for 'Justice League' but was overruled by Warner Bros., actor says

• Joss Whedon's original opening he wrote for "Justice League" was much funnier, according to actor Holt McCallany, who was in the scene.
• According to the actor, the studio had Whedon tweak the scene so it would be serious.

Warning: Minor spoilers below if you haven't seen "Justice League."

It looks like Joss Whedon had his own battles while making "Justice League."

The director of multiple "Avengers" movies for Disney/Marvel is one of the screenwriters credited on the big budget Warner Bros./DC Comics movie. He came on to write scenes for the reshoots and then took over the movie during post production after director Zack Snyder left the project following his daughter's suicide.

Though it's obvious Whedon was brought on to bring some lightheartedness to a franchise that has been criticized for being too dark and serious, it seems the studio would only let him go so far.

Whedon's original opening for "Justice League" was much more comedic, or that's how actor Holt McCallany (Netflix's "Mindhunters") put it when interviewed by Men's Fitness. In "Justice League," McCallany plays the criminal in the opening scene who is captured by Batman (Ben Affleck).

"My scene with Batman was originally conceived as a comedic scene," McCallany said. "That's how Joss wrote it, and that's how we shot it. I thought it came out great, but the studio felt it would be a mistake to open the film with a completely comedic scene, so it was re-edited a little bit. I was disappointed, but when I got home to New York I found a bottle of my favorite champagne and a note from Joss that said 'To Battles Lost. Gratefully, Joss.' I can't tell you how much it meant to me that he took the time to write to me. Joss Whedon is a class act. I had the letter framed."

Now, it's unclear by McCallany if Whedon or Snyder shot the scene. Either way, it's clear Whedon wrote an opening to the movie that would have had audiences chuckling a little more (well, a lot more) than what the final version gave us.

The movie opens on a rooftop in Metropolis with McCallany's character leaving a crime when Batman pounces on him. Mostly, the scene is there for Batman to cross paths with a parademon, which makes him realize he now has to form a team of superheroes to defeat whatever is causing these flying creatures to appear.

In all honesty, it was probably the right choice by Warner Bros. to keep the tone of the opening of the movie a little more serious. Though the movie does have some lighthearted moments, at its core "Justice League" has a dark feel and opening with Batman and McCallany's character trading one-liners would have thrown audiences off, especially since the next chuckle moment in the movie doesn't come for another 20 minutes or so, when Batman seeks out The Flash (Ezra Miller).

However, this insight also shows how high the stakes are for a studio. Almost every choice on a movie like this can be challenged by the executives - even if the idea comes from someone established like Whedon, whose two "Avengers" movies have grossed over $1 billion each!

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