Joss Whedon today confirmed he is responsible for the song that plays over the opening credits in Justice League, likely surprising fans of the film who naturally assumed the bleak lyrics and instrumentation were the work of Zack Snyder. Snyder has long been the DC Extended Universe’s chief architect, whose gritty vision of the comic book world has been a source of contention among fans. Now, though, it seems Snyder has been absolved of the strange musical choice.
(I stuck it in JL too)
— Joss Whedon (@joss) December 4, 2017
In a Twitter exchange on Sunday, Emily Nussbaum of The New Yorker tweeted out the lyrics to Leonard Cohen’s “Everybody Knows.” The director responded to her tweet by telling her that he was the one who stuck the song into Justice League, though that version was performed by Norwegian pop star Sigrid.
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The song is played over a montage that documents events following the death of Superman in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Fans have debated which scenes and lines were added by Whedon since he came aboard the project to replace Snyder late in the game. This is a particularly bleak opening sequence for Whedon, who is considered responsible for the film’s lighter tone.
Now in theaters, Justice League stars Ben Affleck as Batman, Henry Cavill as Superman, Amy Adams as Lois Lane, Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman, Jason Momoa as Aquaman, Ezra Miller as The Flash, Raymond Fisher as Cyborg, Willem Dafoe as Vulko, Jeremy Irons as Alfred Pennyworth, Diane Lane as Martha Kent, Connie Nielsen as Queen Hippolyta, Amber Heard as Mera and J.K. Simmons as Commissioner Gordon.
(via Slash Film)