Zack Snyder takes a break from directing to cope with family tragedy

— -- Director Zack Snyder will not complete production on the upcoming "Justice League" movie, as he turns his focus to his family following his daughter’s suicide.

Snyder told the Hollywood Reporter that Joss Whedon will finish the Warner Brothers film, which is in post-production, as he copes with the death of his daughter Autumn.

The Hollywood Reporter reported that Autumn was 20 when she died by suicide in March, and that Snyder never intended to make the news public.

However, when he decided it was time to step away from work, "I knew there would be narratives created on the internet... [but] I'm past caring about that kind of thing now."

“The demands of this job are pretty intense. It is all-consuming," he told the publication. "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.”

A rep for Warner Brothers, the distributor of the film, confirmed the report to ABC News.

Snyder, 51, most recently directed the 2016 film "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice." Warner Brothers Pictures President Toby Emmerich told the Hollywood Reporter that Whedon will write and shoot a few new scenes that Snyder wanted to add to "Justice League." The directing, he said, is "minimal" and will not introduce any new characters.

"He’s handing the baton to Joss, but the course has really been set by Zack," Emmerich said. "I still believe that despite this tragedy, we’ll still end up with a great movie.”

Snyder, who has seven other children, agreed, but said that right now he can't think about the film.

“I want the movie to be amazing and I’m a fan, but that all pales pretty quickly in comparison," he said. “I know the fans are going to be worried about the movie, but there are seven other kids that need me. In the end, it’s just a movie. It’s a great movie. But it’s just a movie."

A rep for Snyder had no comment.