HBO Max accidentally showed the long-awaited 'Snyder Cut' of 'Justice League' when people clicked on 'Tom and Jerry'

• HBO Max accidentally streamed the "Snyder Cut" of the "Justice League" movie early.
• The leak, which showed an hour of the film, was accessible to users who wanted to watch "Tom and Jerry," according to The Hollywood Reporter.
• The film is set for release on March 18.

For several HBO Max subscribers who wanted to watch the cat and mouse fight on "Tom and Jerry," something else entirely showed up on the streaming service's website: the much-discussed "Snyder Cut" version of the movie "Justice League," The Hollywood Reporter reported Monday.

The upcoming movie, which runs for four hours and is directed by Zack Snyder, was made partially available due to an "error," HBO told The Verge - it's not set for release until March 18.

The error was fixed quickly, according to HBO, but users were still able to get a sneak peek at the hotly-anticipated superhero movie. The Hollywood Reporter staff also was able to access the film before HBO Max realized its mistake. Some who gained access even posted snippets on TikTok.

Insider reported last year that the 'Snyder Cut' took on quasi-mythic status after the director left the original project and Joss Whedon took on the role of director.

Fans of Snyder thought that Whedon's work was not in line with the original vision, and the film did not enjoy the critical or commercial success that it promised. Snyder returned to the production and promised "an entirely new thing," according to The Hollywood Reporter.

In March, Insider's Jason Guerrasio interviewed producer Deborah Snyder, who is Zack Snyder's wife, about the process of making the 'Snyder Cut' after a family tragedy and accusations of misconduct by replacement director Joss Whedon complicated the project.

Whedon's version was released in 2017 at a run time of two hours. To double that run time, the 'Snyder Cut' only needed to film one extra scene, according to Insider's reporting. The bulk of the work that went in to the reconfigured production came down to 2,656 new visual effects that needed to be completed within seven months.

Snyder told Insider that working with HBO Max allowed for creative freedom. She said, "just theatrically what you're allowed to do is different. I feel streaming affords risk-taking and character development and so many things."