In some tragic news, Zack Snyder has revealed that he’s had to step away from Warner Brothers’ Justice League.

There had been rumblings that Snyder had previously taken a two-week break from the movie, and now come a heartbreaking update on the situation. Back in March, Snyder’s daughter Autumn committed suicide.

This information was kept private by Zack and wife Deborah, with only a small group of those close to the family being aware of what had happened. Now, Zack has made the details public, revealing that he’s stepping away from Justice League for now. The superhero team-up effort had essentially wrapped production, but all involved decided that a few additional scenes needed to be shot. For those scenes, Joss Whedon – who recently came aboard Warner Bros.’ DCEU as writer/director of Batgirl – will take over directing duties.

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Zack Snyder said, “In my mind, I thought it was a cathartic thing to go back to work, to just bury myself and see if that was a way through it. The demands of this job are pretty intense. It is all consuming… 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.”

From the WB side, President Toby Emmerich added, “We’re not introducing any new characters. It’s the same characters in some new scenes. He’s handing a baton to Joss but the course has really been set by Zack. I still believe that despite this tragedy, we’ll still end up with a great movie.”

Usually any news of Joss Whedon getting involved with a superhero movie would have us all grinning from ear to ear, but in this instance it’s a terribly tragic situation that’s drenched in sadness.

Despite this, Justice League is still expected to be released on November 10th as planned. That film will see Ben Affleck’s Batman and Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman bringing in Jason Momoa’s Aquaman, Ezra Miller’s Flash, and Ray Fisher’s Cyborg to form the titular team. And yes, Henry Cavill will also be back as the Man of Steel as these heroes battle Ciaran Hinds’ villainous Steppenwolf.

The thoughts of all of us here at STARBURST go out to the Snyder family at this awful time.