Even when tragedy struck his family, Zack Snyder was so dedicated that he pushed on with the Justice League project. The director recently told The Hollywood Reporter that his daughter, Autumn Snyder, had committed suicide in March and that he hadn't been able to recover. In order to devote more time to his family, Zack Snyder hired Joss Whedon to take over his duties, including shooting some additional scenes and heading up post-production.

In my mind, I thought it was a cathartic thing to go back to work, to just bury myself and see if that was the way through it. 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.

Warner Bros. president Toby Emmerich fully supports Snyder’s decision:

What they are going through is unimaginable, and my heart "” our hearts "” go out to them.

Although the first impulse was to postpone the film, Zack and Deborah Snyder decided against it. After a test-screening, and after the decision was made to add additional scenes (without introducing new characters), Joss Whedon was hired to complete the task.

Zack Snyder also revealed that he never his intended to make his family’s tragedy public. However, the industry is very demanding, and while he wanted the movie to be amazing for the fans, that desire paled in comparison with his own desire to be with his other children:

I want the movie to be amazing, and I'm a fan, but that all pales pretty quickly in comparison. 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.