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THE CONQUERING HERO
After slaying the box office with the shocking, record-setting success of '300,' director Zack Snyder carves out his next project with 'Watchmen' and... a '300' sequel?
By Mike Cotton
Posted June 18, 2007 1:45 PM
As Zack Snyder tools around Los Angeles and Pasadena these days, speeding down the Hollywood highways, he doesnt have to look far to remind himself of the incredible, mind-blowing success of his Spartan epic, 300, based on Frank Millers acclaimed 1998 Dark Horse miniseries.
Its right there at his fingertips.
The studio bought me an Aston Martin, Snyder says almost sheepishly about the car made famous by the James Bond flicks, which was really nice of them.
Those are the perks that come when you craft a film that takes the whole industry by storm, rocketing out of the gate to a jaw-dropping, March record-setting $70.9 million opening weekend en route to an over $200 million domestic take and counting.
Now the world has changed for Snyder, way beyond just his gym buddies being impressed with him as that guy who went to Montreal and made that insane movie300 has propelled to the front of the conversation when it comes to discussing the greatest comic book films ever made, joining Spider-Man, the original Superman and Millers Sin City. But 300 vindicated Snyders vision as well, a vision that began with his unrelenting remake of the George Romero classic Dawn of the Dead. In fact, Snyder admitted he wouldve considered 300 a success if it approached Dawns $27 million opening weekend. Instead, Snyders vision resulted in the shocking success of a film that many thought was too niche and violent for mainstream audiences.
Snyder proved that an R-rated action film can translate into big box officethe Green Bay, Wis. native insists on only making restricted, adult-oriented films, and he refused to budge when Warner Bros. wanted 300 softened for a more family-friendly PG-13 rating. 90 percent of my budget restraints [on the $60-million production] came from the R rating, Snyder explains.
The 41-year-old director demonstrated he didnt need a household name to carry the project, that an unknown actor like Gerard Butler (Spartan King Leonidas) could capture the audiences imagination in the right vehicle. Snyder also remained steadfast that, because of the great source material, 300 could score big with audiences despite the lackluster efforts of previous sword-and-sandals epics such as Kingdom of Heaven and Alexander.
Now, the world is wide open for Snyder, as he gears up for the beginning of production of Watchmen in September, based on writer Alan Moore and artist Dave Gibbons 12-issue, mature DC Comics series that deconstructed the superhero comic genre. The arguments about Watchmen being rated R, about how a multilayered series can work on the big screen, about Snyder having a free hand with the creative vision well, you can count on Snyder flexing a little more muscle when it comes to those conversations. Or as one successful Hollywood director puts it after seeing 300s opening numbers, Warners will let Snyder do what whatever the f--- he wants now. (Its not as true as you would think, counters Snyder.)
For a few precious moments, Snyder gets to bask in the afterglow of the classic 300 he created, before he dives headlong into Watchmen, a film thats been in and out of development for over a decade. He carries the oversized Absolute Edition of the series with him wherever he goes, redrawing the graphic novel frame by frame as he works out how the movie will look and be shot. Its his new all-consuming passion, and the creation of it absorbs all his waking moments.
That is, when Warner Bros. isnt calling to ask him an expected question.
There is pressure to do a sequel to 300, sighs Snyder. Personally, I dont know that I have an idea in my head as to what to do with that. Frank would have to write it and I would have to think it was a good idea and I would have to know what Im doing next. People have asked me if there was a sequel to Dawn of the Dead and I said, Well, if you know anything about what happens to the Spartans, maybe there is a way to combine the two movies.
Then he adds with a laugh: Like, Tonight we dine on brains and the Spartans rise from the dead.
WIZARD: Exactly how much did the success of 300 help get Watchmen going?
SNYDER: On one hand [Warner Bros. is] like, Oh my God, your movie was awesome. Its about to gross $200 million domestic. Its a freak show. On the other hand theyre like, Oh, wait. You did 300? I remember that movie. That was cool. That was good. It was all right and it did okay. They have selective memory when it comes to these things.
Because of your success, do you have more latitude now in Watchmens rating, the level of violence, the budget or even setting it in the 80s?
Watchmen is going to be R-rated and when you make an R-rated movie it has the potential for failure, or the potential for failure is higher. Its difficult for them to get a handle on why the movie would be cool when the superheroes are flawed. Its an indictment of American foreign policy and authority in general. [With] all of the crazy themes in Watchmen, [they wonder] why thats even good or something people would want to see. I dont know. I still say [300 is] like a student film on steroids. We shot that movie in a freaking warehouse in Montreal. It was hard and no one thought the movie was anything. When people talk about Watchmen like, Oh, Snyder has a free hand with Watchmen, thats just not the case.
When you were working on 300, there was a lot of talk about the violence, making it rated R, the source material not being that well known. Was it personally gratifying to not only make it all work, but to make it a hit?
Its funny because Ive been asked whether we expected it to be such a big hit. I had hoped it would make as much money on its opening weekend as Dawn did. Dawn did pretty well. I think it made $27 million that opening weekend. We considered that pretty successful for our little zombie flick. That was the hope [for 300] and then to have it just blow up like it did was really surprising and exciting.
Was there something that stood out for you that was the most personally gratifying about how well it did?
To me, the thing it told me was that if you make a movie that doesnt compromise, it really does say to an audience that there is a reason to go to the movies. Thats what we tried to do. To me it was all about saying, Hey, this is a reason to go to the movies. I know you all have 50-inch plasmas at home. I know if you want you can just stay home and have a great cinematic experience. In my way of thinking were trying to do something even bigger than that. Were trying to take you to a place you havent been to before.
What did you make of the political fallout of the movie? Some liberals accused the film of warmongering and Iran was upset because of the way Persians were represented.
I dont know. Ive said it a hundred times: It wasnt our intention. We didnt mean to offend anyone. I have apologized to the Iranian people if they felt any offense to the film.
Did you see any of that coming?
Honestly, I didnt. My impression was that ancient Persia was 2,500 years ago, [this is] a stylized film and that everyone would get that it was just a movie. People were like, Why did you make Xerxes look like that? I said, Well, I went with what Frank said. I think sometimes people read more into things that arent there.
It seems the political reaction to it was more surprising than the box office.
Yeah, and its funny because there are a lot of misconceptions now about me. Look, Im not Jewish. People think I am, and theyre like, 300 is a Jewish conspiracy. I can see Snyder consulting with the Jewish mafia to make this movie anti-Persian.
Was the R rating a big factor for Warner Bros.?
90 percent of my budget came from the R rating. I mean, my budget restraints. They were like, First of all, obscure graphic novel. When we said we wanted to make 300, that it was an obscure Frank Miller book, they said, Okay, Frank Miller we know. But 300, we dont know what that is. Then they said, Okay, but at least youre going to have a movie star in the movie, right? I mean, please I was like, Well, no. Were not going to have a movie star. They said, Okay, well at least it can be rated PG-13 so that we can market it and try to sell it, right? No, its going to be R. They were just like, What are you doing here? Youre killing us!
When you saw 300 was a big hit, what was your first conversation with Frank Miller like?
You know, I think between Frank and I its all about its not that we knew, but its a nice indication to share his vision, at least for me anyway. That is a nice thing to be able to do and have, to be able to say, You know what, the way weve approached and executed it has made it worthwhile in a way.
Now Frank says he hopes this is the last time another filmmaker directs a script based on his comics
Listen, as far as Im concerned, if Frank ever wrote a sequel and said, You know what would be cool? If Zack [directed] it. That would be really an honor. As far as Im concerned, Frank has created these incredible works, and if I were Frank, and I had directed a movie, I would say the same thing he is. I would be like, What do you mean? Im going to just pawn my freaking awesome things off on other directors? I dont think so.
What made you sneak the Rorschach image into the 300 trailer?
That image is the kind of thing where I said, Lets just see if people see it. Itll be fun if people find it. I had a $100 bet with my wife that people were going to find it right away, and she said, No one is going to find it.
Did Warner Bros. know it was in there?
No, they did not.
Was there any fallout?
Were they mad? They werent mad. I think any news is good news for them. If people are going to talk about it, then its good for them.
After the studio pretty much gave you free reign on 300, do you expect much of their involvement on Watch-men? It seems like all eyes are going be on you now as the new it guy.
In some ways I had a free hand with 300. They didnt really mess with me, but they just didnt give me any money. Its the same thing with Watchmen. I think in the end theyll let me do what I want, but what its going to come down to how much theyll spend. People think, Oh, theyre just going to let him do whatever he wants. Look, 300 is going to make almost $400 million worldwide and who knows where itll end up? It hasnt even opened in Japan yet, and there is a chance the Japanese will like the movie. I dont know. I feel the DVD will be successful, too because 300 is a movie people will see repeatedly, and to me that translates into people buying the disc rather than renting it. Maybe Im crazy though, but I think thats the type of potential it has. Who knows though?
It seems like the success of 300 would lead everyone to believe that a Watchmen movie can work
My point is when it comes to Watchmen and how much money were going to get, you have to ask what the appetite is for an R-rated movie as far as the budget goes. With Watchmen, from a marketing standpoint and as a filmmakerthe movie and the marketing are the same thing to meI think, Okay, what shots are going to be in the trailer? What images can tell people to come to see the movie? If you dont look at your movie that way, youre naïve to the process. Unless you dont care at all about success and you just say, You know what? Im making an art film. If no one goes and sees it then f--- them! I dont care. On the other hand, if you ever want to make another movie, then youre in trouble if you dont look at it from the standpoint of, What are the images I need here? Dr. Manhattan walking through Vietnam 200 feet tall, the Comedian riding with the 50-caliber rifle and shooting at the Viet Cong and burning out the village
Those images seem pretty compelling for a teaser trailer.
Those images are going to be like, What the f---? Or you have Rorschach being taken down by the SWAT copsthats a cool sequence. There are a hundred of those types of things, but not only are they superhero images, but theyre also images that challenge you in the same way the movie will. In a marketing way, its something that challenges you in terms of everything that you think a superhero is, but in a cool way its still spectacle and moving. When you see the trailer for Watchmen you go, Holy sh--! Thats insane. I have to see that. That to me is something I believe Watchmen has, that potential. Its just about how much the studio is willing to risk on thator well, I think they believe that.
Would you be interested in going back to the horror genre or are you going to mix it up?
We have that Army of the Dead movie were developing, and I think that can be fun. So I do have an interest in that. I think those movies have enormous potential. Theyre great fun. So yeah, I think horror is certainly a cool genre. I happen to be a little bit more of an action geek. I tend to go more toward that direction with my personal tastes, toward some big, crazy, never-before-seen action thing.
After 300 and Watchmen, is there a third comic book or graphic novel property youd like to make into a film to complete your comic book movie trilogy?
You know, there isnt really. I look at it more in terms of the authors than I do the books. If people look at basically what Ive done so far its been George Romero, Frank Miller and Alan Moore, which is pretty crazy. I think Im going to need to rest.
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