Snyder vs. Superman

October 4, 2010 at 8:22 pm (Movies)

Although I unfortunately didn’t report on this, Christopher Nolan recently interviewed a group of directors for the position to direct the upcoming reboot of the Superman series. Among that list was Daren Aronofsky of this year’s Black Swan, Tony Scott of last year’s The Taking of Pelham 123, Matt Reeves of Cloverfield and Let Me In, Duncan Jones of Moon, and a couple of others. On that list was Watchmen and 300 Director Zac Snyder, known for his visual flair and attention to detail when it comes to action. The director (who is a recurring favorite on this site) has been chosen for the part, received by delight by some and with shouts of dismay by others. You either love Snyder’s style or you hate it, and I for one fall into the former category. The director had this to say about the project-

“I can’t say why they came to me other than the fact that they know I have a fondness for the character and a real desire to understand him and present him to a new audience,” Synder said. “The challenge is huge but you know with Chris and Emma and Debbie I have a lot of people I can rely on. And Chris and David have given this the shape with a great story. It is a hard character to crack. “It’s early yet, but I can tell you that what David and Chris have done with the story so far definitely has given me a great insight into a way to make him feel modern. I’ve always felt he was kind of awesome. I’ll finish Sucker Punch and get right at it.”

It’s also been confirmed that thankfully Lex Luthor is not going to be the villain this time around, but instead it will be the classic villain from the 1970s series, General Zod. No word has been confirmed yet as to who will play Zod, Lois Lane (it was rumored Natalie Portman before Aronofsky’s name was shot down), or Superman, although Jon Hamm’s name was thrown into the ring a time or two. I personally am really excited for what’s going to happen with this. I would love to see Jon Hamm take the part even though that seems pretty unlikely, although they’re probably not going to go with an unknown considering Brandon Routh’s “success” with the part. Snyder’s always had a great eye for action, and my mind can’t fathom what he’s going to do with some of those flying scenes. Snyder’s always had a darker tone when it came to his stories and how he frames his shots, so who knows how it will play out. I’ve loved every single one of his movies thus far (Watchmen could be a big example of how he could adapt it), and if the stars allign with a great cast and script he could knock this one out of the park. The film’s script has been written, and it seems like a lot of work is already underway for what is hopefully a great new era for the Superman film franchise. The Superman reboot is set for a Holiday 2012 release.