The filmmaker reveals that Warner Bros film co-chief Michael DeLuca gave his wife and production partner Deborah Snyder a 'heads up' about him being the punchline in the movie.
- Dec 5, 2023
AceShowbiz - Zack Snyder was given a "heads up" about being the punchline to a "Barbie" joke. The "Justice League" filmmaker had admitted Warner Bros film co-chief Michael DeLuca made sure the director's wife and production partner Deborah Snyder was aware of the joke and the intention behind it months before the Mattel blockbuster hit the big screen.
In the film, Ken (Ryan Gosling) brings the patriarchy to Barbie Land and brainwashes the previously-independent dolls into serving the Kens. America Ferrera's feminist speech lifts the spell, and a Barbie portrayed by Alexandra Shipp quips, "It's like I've been in a dream where I was really invested in the 'Zack Snyder Cut of Justice League'."
Now, Zack Snyder has told Men's Health magazine, "They gave us a heads-up. And he said, 'Hey, there's a reference to 'Justice League' in the movie. It's cool and whatever, I hope you guys understand, we think it's awesome.' I thought ['Barbie'] was great. And I think the joke is pretty good."
The quip referenced the toxic fandom surrounding Snyder and his work, which was seen as fans campaigned for Warner Bros to restore his cut of "Justice League" after Joss Whedon was brought in following his exit to oversee reshoots and change the tone.
Snyder agreed that the joke was meant more as a dig against the fandom than him, but he was still stunned by the way that fanbase has become a staple in pop culture.
He added, "The thing that I said to Debbie is-the thing that you need to take a second and think about is that your name is so seamlessly sewed together with a pop-culture phenomenon so big it can exist as a joke in a movie about Barbie. That's pretty insane. You just need to step back for a second and go like, 'Whoa, what did we do? What happened? How is that a thing?' "
However, he did point out that he can "sometimes" feel misunderstood as the face of "toxic masculinity." He said, "I have nail polish on my thumbs, for God's sake."
