Due to a family tragedy, Zach Snyder has stepped down from directing the upcoming Justice League movie, and Joss Whedon is set to take over. According to THR, Snyder is stepping back from the film “in order to deal with the sudden death of his daughter.” His daughter, Autumn, died in March.

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 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. Pictures president Toby Emmerich said

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

“The directing is minimal and it has to adhere to the style and tone and the template that Zack set…..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.”