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Watchmen’s Maximum Movie Mode Could Be The Best Blu-Ray Special Feature Yet
Posted on Monday, June 29th, 2009 by Peter Sciretta
One of my many complaints about Blu-Ray is that the movie studios have yet to embrace the format and create some cool extra features using the new technology. Disney has done it right in the past. The visual commentary of the Pixar discs is amazing. Today I came across this video preview from the Watchmen Director’s Cut Blu-Ray which shows the Maxium Movie Mode, and I have to say — this might be the coolest Blu-ray feature yet.
Director Zack Snyder actually comes on screen and hosts an incredibly indepth look at the film, complete with behind the scenes footage, comic to film comparisons, history timelines, trivia, and much more. From this clip alone, it appears like it could be the best Blu-Ray feature I’ve seen thus far, offering a lot more than the usual audio or visual commentary tracks. Now if Warner Bros would quit producing those worthless Blu-ray mini-books, and instead start creating more special features like this for their future releases… Watch a video preview after the jump.
Zack Snyder Watch: Watchmen Director’s Cut, Sucker Punch and 300 Follow-Up
Posted on Thursday, June 25th, 2009 by Russ Fischer
Zack Snyder did promotion yesterday for the Blu-Ray release of Watchmen, and quite a few small tidbits of news came out of his various interviews. He talked about the theatrical release of the Watchmen Director’s Cut, which will hit four theatres, the future of his next film Sucker Punch, a possible follow-up to 300 and more. Read More »
Last we heard, Kevin Eastman’s new big screen Heavy Metal movie had a list of impressive directors a mile long: Zack Snyder, David Fincher, Mark Osborne (Kung Fu Panda), and Gore Verbinski (Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy). Eastman has said that three more directors would also direct segments on the animated anthology film. Since that time we’ve learned that Rob Zombie (Halloween) is in talks to join the mix.
But now our good friends at Film School Rejects have learned directly from Eastman that James Cameron has now come on board as Co-Executive producer, and will direct a segment. Cameron’s involvement is also notable because it pretty much guarantees that the film will be 3D. It was also revealed that Jack Black would be part of Kung Fu Panda helmer Mark Osborne’s comedy segment, although it was elaborated on if he would provide a voice, write, or even co-direct. Eastman says that the three other directors (one of which we assume is the previously mentioned Zombie), who have agreed but haven’t officially signed on, “are equally as jaw-dropping.” I do remember that Guillermo Del Toro’s name was initially on the list, but the filmmaker became too busy.
Discuss: Who else would you like to see involved in a new Heavy Metal movie?
Warner Bros has pushed back the announced release of Martin Campbell’s DC comic book adaptation of The Green Lantern, from 2010 to 2011. The film was originally set to hit theaters on December 17th 2010. but will now grace screens on June 17th 2011, a week before Pixar’s Cars 2. A summer release is definitely a vote of confidence from the studio, but it’s more likely that the production would have been racing to hit the original 2010 date.
Last I heard , the $150 million film was hoping to begin production in mid-September at Fox Studios in Sydney Australia. Earlier this week it was rumored that Bradley Cooper is close to being cast as Hal Jordan, but the producers still haven’t made any final decisions. The new date might give the production a bit more time to finalize the cast.
Also, the studio has decided to push back the release of Zack Snyder’s next film Sucker Punch, the R-rated action fantasy film which suffered a series of casting changes “coincidentally” after Watchmen failed to impress at the box office.
What is Going On with Zack Snyder’s Sucker Punch?!
Posted on Monday, April 20th, 2009 by Peter Sciretta
Zack Snyder has lost two more Sucker Punch cast members: Evan Rachel Wood and Emma Stone have both dropped out due to “scheduling conflicts”. This comes one month after it was announced that the film’s lead Amanda Seyfried was forced to leave the project, also due to “scheduling conflicts”. Am I the only person that finds it strange that half of the announced cast have been forced to drop out due the scheduling issues? The cast was announced before Watchmen’s underperformed at the box office. And while I have absolutely no proof what-so-ever that the events are connected, my gut is telling me that they are.
Seyfried, star of Big Love, Mamma Mia, and Mean Girls was replaced with Emily Browning, whose credits top out with a bunch of crappy horror flicks (The Uninvited, Standed, Darkness Falls, Ghost Ship). And tonight Stone and Wood’s replacements were announced: Jamie Chung (Dragonball Evolution) and Jenna Malone (Into The Wild, Donnie Darko). Malone is a great catch. She’s definitely a talented and underused actress but it’s hard not to see a pattern: Warner Bros is trading down, casting considerably lesser known actresses which most likely will save them considerable cash on the budget side. Could it be that Warner Bros is concerned about the profitability of Snyder’s R-Rated $100 million fantasy film?
Zack Snyder on Watchmen’s Box Office and Director’s Cut Theatrical Release
Posted on Friday, April 3rd, 2009 by Peter Sciretta
While appearing at ShoWest to accept the 2009 Director of the Year Award, Zack Snyder responded to questions about the disappointing box office of Watchmen and how this might effect the prospects of the Director’s Cut being released theatrically.
Emily Browning Takes Lead Role in Sucker Punch
Posted on Monday, March 30th, 2009 by Brendon Connelly
EW’s Hollywood Insider tells us that Emily Browning will be taking the lead role of Baby Doll in Zack Snyder’s Sucker Punch from Amanda Seyfried. This news immediately struck me as I had idly considered Browning a good option for the lead in Tim Burton’s currently-in-post Alice in Wonderland sequel/subversion and Snyder has made the Alice connections in Sucker Punch clear.
You will most likely recall Browning from her star turn in the Lemony Snicket picture and, more recently, The Uninvited. I’m curious as to why she hasn’t been getting more roles - her studies, perhaps? - but if she’s somehow wanting for opportunities, a collaboration with Snyder is likely to get her meetings at the very least. I’m definitely interested in seeing what sort of fist she can make out of this one. A good sock to the chops, please, Ms. Browning.
Amanda Seyfried OUT of Zack Snyder’s Sucker Punch
Posted on Monday, March 23rd, 2009 by Peter Sciretta
Zack Snyder just lost his leading lady. According to Entertainment Weekly , Amanda Seyfried (Jennifer’s Body, Mama Mia) won’t headline Snyder’s action fantasy film Sucker Punch after all due to “scheduling conflicts”.
Kevin Smith and the /Filmcast Review Watchmen (/Filmcast: Ep. 41)
Posted on Thursday, March 12th, 2009 by David Chen
In this very special episode of the /Filmcast, David Chen, Peter Sciretta, Devindra Hardawar and Adam Quigley are joined by writer/actor/director Kevin Smith to discuss Zack Snyder’s Watchmen. In this epic, 1 hour and 45-minute long discussion, the five of them delve into the faithfulness of the film adaptation, the effectiveness of the film’s soundtrack, the controversy surrounding the film’s ending, the sexuality of Rorschach, and the resemblance between Zack Snyder and Jesus.
Have any questions/comments/complaints/suggestions? Want to sponsor or advertise with the /Filmcast? You can always e-mail us at slashfilmcast(AT)gmail(DOT)com or call and leave a voicemail at 781-583-1993. Join us next Tuesday night at 9 PM EST / 6 PM PST on Slashfilm’s live page as we review The Last House on the Left.
To hear the entire episode, you can download it here, or play it now in your browser:
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To hear just the segment where Kevin Smith reviews Watchmen with us, you can download it here or play it now in your browser:
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To subscribe to weekly episodes of the /Filmcast, where we review movies and discuss film news with actors/directors/webmasters from all over the internet, use the following links:
Update - Welcome Digg users! If you liked this episode of the /Filmcast, you might also enjoy the following:
Dan Trachtenberg from the Totally Rad Show talks soundtracks with David Chen
The /Filmcast Interviews Dave Gibbons (the original Watchmen illustrator)
Movie Review: Watchmen - A Cinematic Achievement in Adaptation
Posted on Friday, March 6th, 2009 by David Chen
[This review is spoiler free]
Watchmen first appeared on my radar years ago when I’d heard that one of my favorite directors, Paul Greengrass, was slated to helm the big-screen adaptation. I’m not a huge comic book reader, but I’d heard so many complimentary things about the graphic novel that I was induced to buy myself a copy and check it out for myself. What I discovered was that the book lives up to all the hype: Moore’s (and illustrator Dave Gibbons‘) 1986/1987 comic book series spun a gripping, dystopic tale of an alternate reality, one in which costumed vigilantes have taken to the street to quell civil unrest, and the U.S. and Russia are on the brink of nuclear annihilation, held back barely by the existence of the ultimate nuclear deterrent: Dr. Manhattan, the one “superhero” that actually possessed super powers.
While Moore’s book has been referred to by many as possessing cinematic qualities, it’s also repeatedly been referred to as “unfilmable.” After all these years, a convergence of fortuitous events have allowed director Zack Snyder to take his vision of the graphic novel to the big screen. My appreciation for the book led me to eagerly anticipate this film’s release, starting with the first trailer all the way up to the first 20 minutes of the film shown at NY Comic Con. Did Snyder achieve the impossible? Was he able to make cinematic sense out of Watchmen?
Read More »
Entertainment Weekly is reporting that Amanda Seyfried (Jennifer’s Body, Mama Mia), Vanessa Hudgens (High School Musical), Abbie Cornish (Stop-Loss), Evan Rachel Wood (The Wrestler, Across The Universe), and Emma Stone (Superbad) are in talks to join the all-female cast of Zack Snyder’s Sucker Punch.
Snyder has called the film “Alice in Wonderland with machine guns”, an R-Rated $100 million budgeted 1950’s-period action movie which tells the story of a girl named Baby Doll (Seyfried) who is confined to a mental institution by her evil stepfather, who intends to have her lobotomized in five days. While imprisoned, she imagines an alternative reality to hide her from the pain. In this fantasy world, where she needs to steal five objects to help her out before she is deflowered by a vile man. Hudgens (”Blondie”), Cornish (”Sweet Pea”), Wood (”Rocket”), and Stone would play Seyfried’s fellow inmates who also travel into the alternate reality.
The film is gearing up to begin principal photography in Fall 2009, with an October 8th 2010 release date already announced by Warner Bros.
Zack Snyder Talks About Adapting The Dark Knight Returns
Posted on Wednesday, February 25th, 2009 by Peter Sciretta
At San Diego Comic-Con last year, Zack Snyder said that he “would love to see Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns made into a movie.” Later at the Entertainment Weekly Visionaries panel, Miller told Snyder “You can do it anytime you want to Zack”. To which Snyder said he was making a note of Miller’s response.
Earlier this week in our video blog discussion about the future of Batman movies, I suggested that after doing a third Batman film Warner Bros not proceed with another sequel. It is expected that Batman 3 might be the last Batman movie for series helmer Christopher Nolan, and I would love them to instead jump into the future and do an adaptation of The Dark Knight returns or jump into the even further future and do a Batman Beyond movie. That way they could potentially return to the Batman series if Nolan wanted to return after a few years of rest.
Lets be realistic, a Zack Snyder adaptation of Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns will probably never happen, but it’s fun to imagine what could be. FirstShowing got the chance to ask Snyder what he would do with the material if he ever got the chance to bring it to the big screen.
