WIRE Buzz: Jason Momoa raves about Justice League Snyder cut; Ghost Draft drafts J.K. Simmons

At this point, belief in the existence of the long-rumored Snyder cut of DC’s Justice League can almost be broken down into two fan camps: Those who swear it’s real, like the abominable snowman and the Loch Ness monster — and those who’ll believe it when they see it.

But thanks to the man who can talk to fish, the skeptics may have a new challenge to their incredulity. Aquaman actor Jason Momoa says the director’s cut of Justice League — you know, the one that Zack Snyder is said to have assembled after handing the movie off to Joss Whedon, the one that’s supposed to reflect his original vision — is real, and it’s spectacular.

Momoa recently hit up social media to share a picture of Snyder and himself, accompanied by an effusive caption in which Momoa confirmed not only that the Snyder cut of Justice League exists, but that he’s already seen it:

“Well let’s be honest if it wasn’t for this man we wouldn’t have Aquaman I love u Zachary synder. Mahalo for showing me the synder cut. Here is a token of my appreciation… I wish I was a better actor but I can’t lie. The Snyder cut is ssssiiicccckkkkkk”

While Justice League’s relatively modest box-office performance has diminished the incentive for Warner Bros. to lavish the director’s-cut release treatment on DC’s most recent hero get-together, Momoa’s Instagram endorsement already is getting tons of fan buzz. Is it enough to move the needle and bring about our first official sighting of the elusive Snyder cut? We don’t know — but here’s hoping.

In the meantime, Snyder is busy working on his upcoming zombie-hunting movie Army of the Dead, while Momoa will appear in a raft of upcoming projects — including See for Apple TV+, Denis Villeneuve's Dune, and the sequel to Aquaman, due out in December of 2022.

The mysterious, Chris Pratt-headlined sci-fi movie that’s currently going under the working title of Ghost Draft has just drafted an Oscar-winning name to join its growing cast.

Via The Hollywood Reporter, Academy Award winner J.K. Simmons (Whiplash, Law & Order, Hulu’s Veronica Mars) has signed on for a role in Ghost Draft that’ll reportedly have him playing Pratt’s father. GLOW star Betty Gilpin (The Hunt) also is reportedly in talks to join the cast.

Details on Ghost Draft have been near-nonexistent since the movie was revealed back in February, but THR reports that the story will unfold “in a future where humanity is losing a war against aliens,” forcing mankind to “draft” former soldiers (we’re not sure yet from how far back in time) to bolster its ranks.

Directed by Chris McKay (The LEGO Batman Movie) and scripted by Zach Dean (Deadfall, Voyagers) and Ozark creator Bill Dubuque, Ghost Draft is set to start filming next month, with a still to-be-announced release date.

Fresh off its reveal earlier this year of a virtual reality project based on Game of Thrones, HBO is diving even further into VR with the announcement of an upcoming sensory-overload experience in the spooky-synth setting of Westworld.

Unlike Season 3 of the show, which won’t be arriving until sometime next year, the new game — titled Westworld Awakening — will let us dive back into Delos’ amok-android theme park soon (as in this week), with the game arriving in VR arcades everywhere, as well as on Oculus and HTC platforms.

Following a new storyline over a five-chapter arc that unfolds within the show’s second season (via Variety), Westworld Awakening is a joint project between developer Survios and the Westworld team, which reportedly had a heavy creative hand in shaping the game. Players will take on the role of Kate, an android host who gains self-awareness (sound familiar?) and decides to explore the deeper meaning of her existence — while looking for a way out.

Set to release Aug. 20 on Steam, the Oculus Store, and HTC Viveport, Westworld Awakening is reportedly a 4-6-hour adventure, and it’ll clock in at a price of $29.99.