Zack Snyder won’t look back: ‘There’s been no other Superman movies’

When Bryan Singer took moviegoers to Metropolis in the 2006 film ”Superman Returns,” he paid careful homage to the hero’s cinematic past. Don’t expect that approach from Zack Snyder, who on Wednesday shared his guiding principle: ”Respect the canon but don’t be a slave to the movies.”

Snyder’s version of the Man of Steel is scheduled to reach theaters in December 2012 with Henry Cavill in the title role and director said that this will be the first modern Superman feature that will truly break from Richard Donner’s landmark 1978 film, which shared its star, Christopher Reeve, with three sequels and then also deeply informed Singer’s 2006 film, which put Brandon Routh in the iconic blue tights but tapped into both style and story elements from the work of Donner and Reeve.

“Literally, the one thing that everyone can start to think about is that we’re making a movie that finally goes with the approach that there’s been no other Superman movies,” Snyder said. “If you look at ‘Batman Begins,’ there’s that structure, there’s the canon that we know about and respect but on other hand there’s this approach that pre-supposes that there haven’t been any other movies. In every aspect of design and of story, the whole thing is very much from that perspective of respect the canon but don’t be a slave to the movies.”

I mentioned to Snyder that in hindsight the Singer film might have been boxed in by the past and too tentative — the movie seemed at times like a cautious curator trying to move around among fragile museum pieces. “Yeah, and we’re not afraid of that at all,” Snyder said. “Our Superman, he’s got things to figure out but he’s a physical cat.”

Snyder’s next film, “Sucker Punch,” which he co-wrote with Steve Shibuya, opens in theaters on March 25. The filmmaker is in intense preparations now for the Superman revival (it will likely be titled “Man of Steel” but that decision isn’t final yet), which will begin shooting soon with a script by David S. Goyer. The cast will include also include Diane Lane as Martha Kent. [A previous version of the post listed Kevin Costner as a cast member, but his involvment with the project has only been rumored.]

On further casting Snyder would say only: “There’s more to come and I think it’s consistent in its … awesomeness.”

I told Snyder I was interested to see how he and his wife and producing partner, Debbie Snyder, would collaborate with the producer team of Christopher Nolan and Emma Thomas – another married couple who have put themselves at the center of the Warner Bros. present and future when it comes to blockbuster ventures. Nolan, of course, directed the two most recent Batman films, which many people consider the pinnacle of superhero cinema, while Thomas has been the producer of every Nolan film, including last year’s “Inception,” which was nominated for the best picture Oscar.

“It’s been really great,” Snyder said of the collaboration so far. “Chris is awesome. He’s super-respectful but super-helpful, too. You can’t imagine a more generous [collaborator]…once he sort of got what I want to do with it, he was like, ‘OK,’ and once he said, ‘You know what, that’s awesome,’ now he’s 100%. If I say, ‘What do you think of this?’ he’s like, ‘That’s awesome,’ and then there’s a great give-and-take about it, a great conversation that we can have about it and making it better everyday. And by the way he’s hilarious, too.”

Snyder said he can’t contain his excitement when he considers the paradox of Superman at this point in time — as the first signature superhero, the character has an unrivaled legacy and appeal but as far as live-action film goes, the Donner version and Singer’s spin-off define Superman for contemporary moviegoers (although Kirk Alyn and George Reeves also flew across the silver screen in the 1940s and 1950s).

“Superman is the one constant in the universe,” Snyder said. “You know that if you do Superman right — or at least if you do him with respect — you know you end up with something great…. [but] in some ways [beyond] that is virgin territory. No one knows what that is. In some ways Superman is the most recognizable superhero on the planet but also the most unknown. Just what he can be? People have preconceived ideas about him but probably all of them are wrong.”

I asked if Snyder had anything he could share about the costume that Cavill will wear. ”I can’t say — although I appreciate the question. I’d love to talk about it. We’re going to have to show it before we shoot, probably a while before that because [otherwise] someone will be on the set and get a picture of it.”

Snyder sounded a bit weary and that’s no surprise considering the impending release of “Sucker Punch” and the world-class pressure of getting Superman off the ground for Warner Bros. I asked if he ever looks at the size of the task and gets intimidated by the sheer scale of it. “It is epic. But you just start with page 1, shot 1 and the next thing you know, you’re in it. And then you can’t go back. It’s the journey of 1,000 steps, as they say.”

– Geoff Boucher

http://herocomplex.latimes.com/2011/03/ ... an-movies/

So its 'awesome,' then?

Maybe even 'epic'

Robert Pattinson in Talks for "Daredevil" Reboot?

We just learned that 20th Century Fox is in negotiations with David Slade (30 Days of Night) to direct the studios upcoming "Daredevil" reboot, which will not be ignoring the events in Ben Affleck's 2003 film.

The new movie will not be Slade's next helming gig; he's currently setting up "The Last Voyage of Demeter." So while there's still time to put the project together, Moviehole is reporting that Slade has already had conversation with his "Twilight Saga: Eclipse" star Robert Pattinson to play the lead role.

As far as the story, the site says: "It's a bit 'Batman Begins.' The bad guy will learn who Daredevil really is and tries to destroy him – but not via the usual methods."

Source: Moviehole

http://www.worstpreviews.com/headline.p ... 98&count=0

Dear God...

...

BATMAN’s suit : A Comic Book History

http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/ ... s/?a=32063

FYI...

Gordon-Levitt locked for 'Dark Knight Rises'

Indie ingenue Juno Temple also being eyed for a supporting role

Exclusive: After weeks of quiet negotiations, Joseph Gordon-Levitt is set to re-team with his "Inception" director Christopher Nolan on "The Dark Knight Rises."

Additionally, indie sensation Juno Temple is being eyed for a supporting role as a street-smart Gotham girl. Warner Bros. and reps for both thesps declined to comment.

Speculation has run rampant regarding what character Gordon-Levitt will play, though the part is being kept under wraps. Blogs have pegged the part as The Riddler or, more likely, Deadshot, a member of the villainous League of Shadows, but Nolan has elected to keep fans in the dark ... for now.

The Oscar-nominated filmmaker continues to fine-tune the script as the start of production grows closer. He's also serving as a creative consultant on another WB superhero franchise, Zack Snyder's "Superman," which now has Henry Cavill, Kevin Costner and Diane Lane onboard.

"The Dark Knight Rises" is scheduled for release on July 20, 2012.

Since Gordon-Levitt was first reported last month as being in talks for "Dark Knight," he hasn't signed on for any more projects, and his summer remains wide open. Thesp next stars opposite Natalie Portman in the indie drama "Hesher," which Wrekin Hill recently acquired, with plans to release the long-delayed film in April. He'll also be seen alongside Seth Rogen in Jonathan Levine's cancer comedy "50/50," which Summit will release on Sept. 30.

Gordon-Levitt recently wrapped David Koepp's thriller "Premium Rush," which Columbia plans to open Jan. 13. He's currently filming Rian Johnson's sci-fi pic "Looper," which co-stars Bruce Willis and Emily Blunt.

Temple, who can now be seen in Jordan Scott's "Cracks" and Gregg Araki's "Kaboom," has two Sundance pics in the can -- Elgin James' "Little Birds" and last year's festival hit "Dirty Girl." She recently wrapped starring roles in the indies "Killer Joe" opposite Matthew McConaughey and Emile Hirsch, as well as "Jack and Diane." Additionally, thesp plays Queen Anne in Paul W.S. Anderson's adaptation of "The Three Musketeers," and is gearing up to co-star in the indie thriller "A Single Shot."

Gordon-Levitt is repped by CAA, while UTA and Troika rep Temple.

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118034129

Pics at the link... Assuming it's Bane, Catwoman, Talia, and Deadshot that are gonna be shown, I'd hazard a guess that Catwoman won't be much of a villain in Rises, since I'm expecting Talia to utilise Bane and Deadshot as members of the League of Assassins. Assuming even the Talia assumption is correct

This is why I think there should be four movies. The third could showcase the riddler/penguin and the fourth could do catwoman/leage of shadows stuff to tie back to the first movie. Too many villains in the third movie will spoil things.

I suspect Catwoman and Deadshot (or whoever it is) will only be bit part players - it's worth remembering that characters as diverse as Falcone and Scarecrow in Begins weren't actually the main threat, with Scarecrow being just a cameo in TDK, and even Two Face wasn't a 'proper' villain if you follow that angle.

Again, all assumption...

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/ar ... -suit.html

If she was wearing that for you, you'd be one of the happiest men on Earth. I'm guessing it'll look terrible on-screen though

Yes it does look like it could look awful on screen. Yes Adrienne Palicki looks good for the part but the costume looks bad.

I don't think it's too bad - has a kind of retro Flash Gordon feel to me. Plus it's quite practical to wear while actually shooting the film, which has got to be a factor.

I don't know if the film will be any good or not but I don't think whether it's any good will hinge on this outfit. We've seen plenty of films where the costume looked good but the film turned out to be rubbish.

Should have stuck more closely to Jim Lee's costume design.

And vice versa



That would have been a better option if I had to guess...

Joseph Gordon-Levitt's role in THE DARK KNIGHT RISES has been revealed: Alberto Falcone

http://www.batman-on-film.com/THE-DARK- ... 20-11.html

Didn't see that coming

Makes me wonder if Marion Cotillard is actually playing his sister Sofia rather than Talia. I can't imagine she's a love interest with Catwoman in the film too, and Oldman said it goes back to the first...

Mark Ruffalo talks The Avengers

Exclusive: “I don’t know if they will ever do another Hulk”

http://www.totalfilm.com/news/mark-ruff ... e-avengers

Have to say, I've a lot more confidence now since I saw the Cap/Thor trailers, but that's still a sh1tload of characters to put in one film

It’s been a crazy few days for The Dark Knight Rises news hasn’t it? First Variety confirmed that Joseph Gordon-Levitt joined the cast, then they reported that he was playing Alberto Falcone, and now Entertainment Weekly says he’s playing a completely different role. So who exactly is Joseph Gordon-Levitt playing? Batman on Film thinks they have the answer…

When news broke that Joseph Gordon-Levitt was playing Alberto Falcone, BOF posted the following:

I had heard JGL was definitely playing ONE of the following characters: Black Mask or Alberto Falcone. Honestly, I REALLY thought he was going to be Black Mask and I wasn’t too thrilled about it. I did figured [sic] one of these was a red herring and I’m glad the decoy was [Black Mask] and not Alberto. Really, I thought he was going to be Black Mask and I’m glad I was wrong!

Now this is where things get even crazier. Earlier today after Entertainment Weekly published their article, BOF edited their original post — replacing all references of Black Mask with “Xxxxx Xxxx”. Did BOF make the change to protect their relationship with Warner Bros. in an attempt to not give away Gordon-Levitt’s character? Perhaps. But now the BOF article has been edited again…this time back to it’s original form with “Black Mask” intact. [Update 03/22/11: BOF has once again removed all mentions of Black Mask from their original article]

One things for sure… Variety and Entertainment Weekly, two reputable publications, received conflicting reports on Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s role. With filming just about a month away, we’re likely to get some official information soon to clear up all these casting rumors. So which side are you on? Alberto Falcone, Black Mask, someone else? Let your opinion be heard in the comments.

Read more: http://batman-news.com/2011/03/21/if-no ... z1HSoFzKsW