Posts Tagged ‘Zack Snyder’
Posted by dominie in Films, News on January 5th, 2009
According to /Film via The Daily Telegraph, Hugh Jackman (X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Australia), Hugo Weaving (The Wolfman, Lord of the Rings series, The Matrix series), and Ryan Kwanten (True Blood) have been cast to provide their voices for Zack Snyder’s upcoming animated feature film, Guardians of Ga’Hoole, based on a New York Times bestselling children’s series by author Kathryn Lasky and illustrator Richard Cowdry.
Snyder’s animated feature will be based on the first three books in the 14 book series. The epic fantasy is set in the Forest of Tyto and “follows a young barn owl named Soren, who is kidnapped by owls of St. Aggie’s, where owlets are brainwashed into becoming soldiers. He and his new friends escape to the island of Ga’Hoole, to assist its noble, wise owls who fight the army being created by the wicked rulers of St. Aggie’s” (/Film).
The movie will be made by Australian animation studio Animal Logic, the team behind Happy Feet, 300, and Babe. Warner Bros. has slated the Guardians for release on July 30, 2010.
Posted by dominie in Films, General, News on December 27th, 2008
Zack Synder’s Watchmen is having a hell of a time in post, just months before its scheduled release in March 2009. First the studio required the movie be trimmed 15 minutes (and counting) and now, a fight over property rights. Latino Review broke the news earlier this week. In the court battle over rights to the upcoming Watchmen movie adaptation produced by Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures, the judge ruled in favor of Fox’s claim that it owns a copyright interest. You can read the ruling below.
In a surprise ruling, a federal judge in Los Angeles said he intended to grant 20th Century Fox’s claim that it owns a copyright interest in the “Watchmen,” a movie shot by Warner Brothers and Legendary Pictures and set for release in March.
The decision was disclosed in a five-page written order issued on Wednesday. Gary A. Feess, a judge in the United States District Court for Central California, said he would provide a more detailed order soon.
Fox has been seeking to prevent Warner from releasing the film. The superhero adventure, based on the “Watchmen” graphic novel, is being directed by Zack Snyder (who also directed “300”) and has shaped up as one of most eagerly anticipated releases for next year.
A Warner spokesman, Scott Rowe, declined to comment on the ruling and the studio’s plans.
At an earlier hearing, the judge said he believed that issues in the case could be settled only at a trial, which was scheduled for late January. On Wednesday, however, Judge Feess said he had reconsidered and concluded that Fox should prevail on crucial issues. (more…)
Posted by dominie in News on December 16th, 2008
Lucky VIP winners can now purchase Watchmen tickets online reports /Film. The Palisades Center IMAX Theaters in West Nyack, NY has launched a new media outlet for hype. According to the Times Herald-Record, Warner Bros. and IMAX are holding a high tech experiment for advance ticket persales.
Patrons can go to the large-format theater and, using the Bluetooth connection on their cell phones, download an exclusive 30-second clip from the upcoming graphic novel adaptation “Watchmen,” which will be released March 6.
At the end of the clip, patrons will then be directed to a Web site that gives them a VIP opportunity to buy tickets to the first public showing of the film at 12:01 a.m. March 6.
If you can’t head over to the theater, you can also try at visiting http://imax.com/vip/ for you chance at the VIP opportunity, but the Palisade theater will be the only US theater to sell tickets for the midnight showing.
Posted by dominie in Comics, Films, News on December 3rd, 2008
Zack Snyder has been fighting Warner Bros.’ studio execs since before Comic-Con to retain the full length of his movie adaptation of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ graphic novel, Watchmen. The objective: to preserve the “core” of the story. While I’m sure this is still the case, it seems that at the end of the day the business aspect of the picture is still key. Longer movies=less turnaround=less tickets=less money.
According to Sci Fi Wire, the current cut of the film is down to two hours and 35 minutes from the previous length at two hours and 50 minutes. The length still hasn’t been approved however, and it’s likely it will be cut further.
As announced, Snyder has been trying to be as faithful as possible to Moore and Gibbons’ seminal graphic novel, which tells a complex story of superheroes in an alternate-universe 1985 New York. The graphic novel interpolates other comics and book excerpts into its narrative, something Snyder has been really trying to approximate in his film.
It sounds like with each minute more that is cut, we might have to settle for reading Moore and Gibbons’ graphic novel again. Here’s a little bit of comfort, the director’s cut on the DVD will be three hours and 10 minutes long, incorporating even more than the theatrical version as far as the details that bring the film even closer to the graphic novel.
Posted by dominie in Comics, Films, News on November 11th, 2008
Warner Bros. released six teaser posters for the Zack Snyder’s (300) Watchmen today. The posters introduce the six primary characters in this dystopian unorthodox superhero film based on DC Comics 1986 limited series created by Alan Moore and artist Dave Gibbons.
The posters were scattered across the web via various websites. Click on each image for a closer look and read on for character bios of each superhero.
Character Bios courtesy of Wikipedia. (more…)
Posted by dominie in Comics, Films, News on October 23rd, 2008
The official trailer for Sony Screen Gems’ Underworld: Rise of the Lycans can now be viewed at Apple.com. Directed by FX specialist Patrick Tatopoulos (Angel Hair) and starring Michael Sheen, Rhona Mitra, Bill Nighy, Shane Brolly, Steven MacKintosh, and Kevin Grievoux, the third installment is a prequel to the previous films. Set in the Dark Ages, the story will trace the origins of the centuries-old blood feud between the aristocratic vampires led by Viktor and the werewolf slaves known as the Lycans. Underworld: Rise of the Lycans debuts in theaters January 23, 2009.
Marvel’s search for Thor is still in the works. The studio is rumored to only have a short list of potentials. IESB caught up with Daniel Craig at the press day for Quantum of Solace and managed to sneak in a few questions about another known hero, the upcoming Thor Marvel adaptation. Craig reveals that “[Marvel] did approach him but he turned it down.” He jokes, “It would have bent too much of a power trip, both Bond and Thor, and running around with long hair and a hammer.”
Warner Bros. released a new teaser poster for Zack Snyder’s Watchmen today. The new extended trailer that premiered at the 2008 Scream Awards can also be viewed online here.
Posted by dominie in Comics, Films, News on October 2nd, 2008
This week’s Hollywood preview of Zack Snyder’s Watchmen, a film adaptation of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ comic series of the same name, proved eventful. Not only were attendees graced with twenty five minutes of the hit new film, but after the Q&A session, Snyder also revealed secrets behind a 300 sequel/prequel (still to be determined) to IESB’s Robert Sanchez.
First off, highlights from the Watchmen preview from First Showing. This is not your typical superhero film. Snyder is able to pull off an all-encompassing story that according to writer Alex Billington may “give The Dark Knight a run for its money.” The current version runs 2 hours and 43 minutes and it looks like chances are slim Snyder will be shaving it down much more. There will be no sequel or prequel attached to Watchmen, none that Snyder plans to be involved in even if Warner Bros. is silly enough to go forward on such a notion. Lastly, the trailer for Watchmen will likely be attached to Quantum of Solace, which premieres in just another month’s wait.
Onto to 300 details: Snyder tells Robert Sanchez of IESB, they’re currently waiting on Frank Miller’s completion of the graphic novel before penning any script for the sequel or prequel to 300. The project will be based exclusively on Miller’s creation; neither Snyder or any others will any have input since the director “wants it to be a creation of Miller’s 100%.” He did reveal the story will be set the year between the Battle of Thermopylae and the Battle of Plataea, the battle described by Dilios (David Wenham) in his final monologue:
“And so my king died, and my brothers died, barely a year ago. Long I pondered my king’s cryptic talk of victory. Time has proven him wise, for from free Greek to free Greek, the word was spread that bold Leonidas and his three hundred, so far from home, laid down their lives. Not just for Sparta, but for all Greece and the promise this country holds.
Now, here on this ragged patch of earth called Plataea, Xerxes’s hordes face obliteration!
Just there the barbarians huddle, sheer terror gripping tight their hearts with icy fingers… knowing full well what merciless horrors they suffered at the swords and spears of three hundred. Yet they stare now across the plain at 10,000 Spartans commanding thirty thousand free Greeks! HA-OOH!”
Judging from this, it seems Dilios may be playing a major role and David Wenham may get his well deserved big break.
Snyder’s animated feature will be based on the first three books in the 14 book series. The epic fantasy is set in the Forest of Tyto and “follows a young barn owl named Soren, who is kidnapped by owls of St. Aggie’s, where owlets are brainwashed into becoming soldiers. He and his new friends escape to the island of Ga’Hoole, to assist its noble, wise owls who fight the army being created by the wicked rulers of St. Aggie’s” (/Film).
