 Snyder 's first cut of the film was three hours long . In keeping the film tight , Snyder dubbed himself " the gatekeeper " of the comic 's easter eggs , " while [ the studio ] conspire to say , ' No . Length , length , length . Playability . ' [ ... ] I 've lost perspective on that now , because to me , the honest truth is I geek out on little stuff now as much as anybody . Like , people will go , ' We 've got to cut . You don 't need that shot of Hollis Mason 's garage sign . ' And I 'm like , ' What are you talking about ? Of course you do . Are you crazy ? How will people enjoy the movie without shit like that in it ? ' So it 's hard for me . " Snyder cut the film down to 162 minutes when he realized there was a way to further trim the film : removing the murder of Hollis Mason , the first Nite Owl , which " was easy without destroying the movie " . 
