What In The Name Of God Was Warner Bros. Thinking When It Gave Zack Snyder The Superman Keys?
So, let's say you're Warner Bros. studios. Despite being an anthropomorphic conglomeration, life is pretty good for you. Your massively profitable Harry Potter series is about to come to a conclusion, but you've got a lot of bullets left in your gun: After making one of the highest grossing movies in the world with Dark Knight, Christopher Nolan made you money AND prestige with Inception -- and he's about to make another Batman movie. You've got a possible new superhero franchise with Green Lantern. And you own the movie rights to Superman, possibly the most iconic character in history behind Mickey Mouse and Jesus Christ -- so why would you give it to the man who keeps cranking out hyperkinetic failure after failure?
The critical and popular failure of Sucker Punch makes three disappointments (if not outright bombs) in a row for Zack Snyder: Watchmen and Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole fill out his CV of failure. And with each film, the disappointment grew deeper and more profound until it cratered into the creative abyss that he called Sucker Punch.
Audiences only learned about the depth and breadth of Sucker Punch's terribleness this weekend, but presumably Warner Bros. executives have known just how bad the film is for months now. How could they not? If they have eyes to see and ears to hear, how could they ignore the steaming freight train of unfathomable failure that had just pulled in front of them? So, if this is this case, why would they hand off potentially the most lucrative arrow in the quiver to a man of such diminishing returns?
Warner Bros was clearly under the gun; under a 2009 ruling, if production on a new film was not begun by 2011, the studio could lose the rights to Superman. And clearly in their eyes, any port in a storm was a friendly berth indeed. But in what possible world was Zack Snyder the best choice to shepherd a probable billion-dollar franchise into creation?
With a reported $82 million budget, it will struggle to make back its costs. The reviews have been apocalyptic. After seeing such an inept, inartful, whirring, clanging catastrophe, can anyone really be looking forward to what he'll do with the Man of Steel? No matter what good news the casting might be, Warner Bros. has managed to make the first thought that many had for the new Superman movie be "Oh, God! What the hell is Zack Snyder going to do to Superman??"
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We live in a world where a 3D Justin Beiber infomercial and an Adam Sandler movie more insulting than Bulletproof are neck and neck with tallies over $30 million in 3 days. There was no telling how Sucker Punch would perform, no matter how full retard it would turn out to be.
Say what you will, but the man makes movies that actually make money in the long run (after foreign and home video is taken into account, yes, but far from bombs). While he does tend to overuse the super slo-mo, at least you can actually see what the hell is going on in his films, as opposed to changing robots and shaky cam alien invasions.
Plus it was Nolan's call, no? At this point, Nolan's say so is third only to Spielberg and Cameron. And Spielberg's been championing Michael Bay for more than half a decade now...
Gaines, you bend facts in order to justify your flawed and bonehead hypothesis. Watchmen didn't bombed. In fact, it recuperated the production costs just with the box office in the US. Add that to the rest of the world and DVD sales and you have a highlty profitable film. It's pretty obvious Snyder got the Superman gig because of Watchmen. True, Sucker Punch wasn't very good, but visually was interesting and narratively audacious. Who would you like Gaines? Kevin Smith?
Watchmen's budget was roughly $130 million (and that's without additional marketing and promotional costs) and its final domestic gross was about $105 million. When you factor in foreign grosses ($77 million) and DVD and the like, it probably squeaked out of the red. But it's insane to think that WB was pleased with such a mediocre gross when 300 made nearly twice that.
I thought Watchmen has been his been his best movie so far. He makes movies that are okay to me not great. I think he can do an okay job with Superman, but not a great one. On another note I cannot picture Amy Adams as Lois Lane..
Gaines raises a lot of good questions. With Snyder, I don't expect the level of quality of let's say Nolan's Batman, Spiderman 2 or X-Men. So, best of luck to Warner Brothers.
Yeah but how much of of Watchmen's budget really ended up on the screen? I mean the movie's rights exchanged hands many, many times. How much of that 130 million dollars was set aside to untangle all the rights issues with the film once Snyder told WB that he wanted to do it as his next film? Oh and as for Legend of the Guardians that movie actually wasn't as huge a failure as you seem to think it made 140 million worldwide at the box office on a budget of 80 million for production costs. And considering that it wasn't really heavily promoted, I would guess it made back all it's money and turned a nice profit for WB. As for Sucker Punch I don't think that isn't going to make back it's money, it's just going to take longer for it to do so. And as for Zack Snyder being a bad choice for Superman I agree, but I'm willing to hold off in my belief that his Superman movie is going to suck, until I actually see it.
Casting has been a semi-fail to me. A lot of strange choices. Costner was a good pick, as long as they keep it short. A little of him can go a long way. A decade is seriously too big a gap between Lois and Clark. Adams is a beauty, but does look her age. Doesn't really look like Lois either. Cavill is a bit tender and without an ounce of grit. Snyder also causes a lot of trepidation.
WB want their solid Superman property plus the amazing visual style of Zack Snyder plus... someone else writing the script.
You answer why in this post. They need to start production this year and Snyder works quickly. The story and script are from Nolan and Goyer, so no problems there, Nolan is overseeing all aspects of the casting it seems like, so no problem there. Snyder will do fine. He won't ruin the franchise.
Sucker Punch is a bomb, no doubt, but I wouldn't classify Watchmen as a disaster. It was a disappointment, and I'm sure that the studio wanted a 300 type gross, but Watchmen did make it's money back. There are better directors out there, but as someone pointed out, a lot of the decision to go with Snyder had to do with timing and hope. WB hopes that he will succeed when he only has to direct.
I would worry more about casting a weak actor as Superman. Henry Cavill was by far the worst actor on the Tudors. Whenever I see the guy I think of Caspar Van Dien in Starship Troopers. Cavill could hold his own against Brandon Routh in a crap actor competition.
According to Box Office Mojo: Legend of the Guardians cost 80 did 140 worldwide, Watchmen cost 130 and did 185 in the world, not counting revenues in dvd/blu ray rent & on demand sales, premium & basic cable and open TV rights, world wide…I don't see that much of failure..
You haven't seen Cavill play Superman yet and you feel the need to insult him by comparing him to Casper Van Dien? I watched The Tudors and Cavill easily held his own against the other actors. He'll do a good job as Superman and Snyder will do fine as well. The quality of the script is what will make or break the movie.
You are all a bunch of assholes!!!! 300 ruled, watchmen ruled, sucker punch rules And SUPERMAN WILL KICK ASS!!! If you dont like his movies, go watch justin biebers gay ass movie!!!!!
Jesus...did this writer go to the Hyperbole School for Overblown Word Usage?
Snyder's efforts make for some very interesting filmmaking, and while it may not float you boat, his work is far from the level of catastrophe described here, SuckerPunch included.
Snyder will do just fine, and to be perfectly blunt, he will likely bring a very fresh and interesting take on an outdated and boring relic such as Supes.
Frankly, the next time I'd really only like to even see the character on screen ever again would be if anyone ever got the balls to make Miller's "Dark Knight Returns". Until then...I trust Zack's work (most especially alongside Goyer and Nolan's guidance)!
You're an idiot... Sucker Punch was amazing. It's easy to be a douchebag critic who couldn't do any better isn't it?
I have personally loved all of Zack Snyders movies.. In fact I thought Sucker Punch was a great movie, and Legends of the Guardians I actually bought the day it came out. Not to mention 300 which was a great movie..
I see movies like Inception that has gotten so many good reviews, then I look at a movie like Sucker Punch that has gotten bad reviews and really wonder why. Inception was a good movie but the concepts of both movies are both just downright stupid in reality but both made a damn good movie in my opinion.
Bottom line is Critics are morons and there are alot of other morons out there that wont go see a movie just because shitty critics like this write articles just to have a story.
Zack Snyder is one of my favorite Directors, his art direction is unmatched and his stories are superb. I really dont give a shit what shitty critics like this say. I will be buying Sucker Punch on blu ray the first day it comes out, because I am a Emily Browning fan and because Zack Snyder's movies give me a eyegasm.. Nothing better!
I'm right with you. I didn't watch Watchmen, nor Legend of the Guardians (I saw trailers for both and thought they were fascinating), but Sucker Punch, I saw. There were no words to describe how visibly stunning Sucker Punch was.
Zack Synder's direction with camera angles are what brought my attention, especially in the train sequence. Now that scene was beautiful.
I honestly don't know what critics see in movies. Sometimes I wonder if they hate a movie for no reason at all, and when reviewing just use big incorrect words, so we don't understand what they are saying.
IMDB.com forum posters are the queens of all bitchy critics.
i was immediately offended by the title of your article because of the way you casually threw the Almighty God's name around just so people will look at you...
and then i stopped really caring what i was reading after you refered to Jesus Christ (the light of the world the Lamb of God the only hope this decaying earth has) as a simple character in a short story...
you're very intelligent no denying that you probably make tons of money... but the way you carelessly use the name of Jesus Christ and God the Father shows just how ignorant you are...
and you can chalk this up to me "judging" you but its not me who made these rules up these are God the Father's rules delivered by His Son Jesus Christ and Moses before him... as a FIRM BELIEVER IN CHRIST its my duty to uphold His name and stand up for my belief in my salvation thru Christ's sacrifice!
God loves us all and always will and He commands our obedience but most of all God deserves our love and worship for he is the breath in our lungs the blood in our veins
please dixon gaines repent of your sins and come to the Cross theres a bright tomorrow ahead of you if you just reach out and take His hand
Gaines, I'm going to throw up if I have to read anymore of the desperate attempts to jump on the meme wagon that you call articles. Douche.
People become critics because it is safer and easier to point out the mistakes of others.
See this is where the writer is an idiot. Sucker Punch grossed massive money. And to think they pay these guys to write crap.
Always end the name of your child with a vowel, so that when you yell the name will carry
Without even knowing the script, I can already list the major plot points:
Superman's secret identity is exposed
The bad guys use Kryptonite
Superman gets his lunch handed to him
Lois becomes a hostage
At least 3 of these will be in the new film. It's the same story over and over again. No need to watch after you've seen the first movie. Too bad. The comics have better stories.
Keep telling yourself that.
LOL!! This post gave me the biggest laugh of the day so far:) This person can't be serious, can they?
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