Zack Snyder unveils first look at Darkseid in the Snyder Cut of 'Justice League'

Zack Snyder has revealed the first glimpse at Darkseid from his Snyder Cut of Justice League, which is due to arrive on HBO Max next year.

Warner Bros has stumped up between $20m (£16m) and $30m (£24m) to allow Snyder to complete his vision for the 2017 superhero movie, which was a critical and commercial disappointment.

Darkseid was widely rumoured to have been a part of Snyder’s early vision for Justice League, given how heavily the character was teased in 2016’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.

Read more: What was Snyder’s original vision?

The filmmaker shared an image on Twitter that shows the tyrannical villain on his home planet of Apokolips.

Argo and Almost Famous actor Ray Porter confirmed last week on social media that he had been cast to portray Darkseid in the movie before his role was cut.

Darkseid is considered to be the arch-enemy of the Justice League in the DC Comics universe and aims to eliminate all free will.

The villain’s appearance in the Snyder Cut will mark his first portrayal in a live-action movie.

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The character is also due to appear in the New Gods movie directed by Ava DuVernay, though it’s unclear whether Porter will reprise the role.

Meanwhile, HBO Max boss Bob Greenblatt has revealed further information on the Snyder Cut in an interview on the Recode Media podcast.

Greenblatt said the project was “wildly expensive” and hinted that the stated budget figure for the cut may end up being a low estimate as the movie “does not exist” at this time.

He added: “Zack is actually building it, and it’s complex, including new VFX shots.

“It’s a radical rethinking of that movie and it’s complicated and wildly expensive. I’ll just say I wish it was just $30 million and stop there.

“It’s an enormous undertaking and very complex.”

This hefty price tag will be added to the $300m (£245m) already spent on the original version of the film.

Joss Whedon stepped in to complete the movie and helm reshoots when Snyder stepped aside after the death of his daughter.

Read more: Most expensive movies ever made

Zack Snyder’s Justice League is due to premiere via HBO Max in the USA in 2021.

No plans for the streaming service to come to the UK have been announced at this time.