EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Zack Snyder On the Challenges & Joy of Superman

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Zack Snyder On the Challenges & Joy of Superman

When the subject of a Superman movie comes up, there’s usually two contingencies responding: fans of the character who can’t hide their anticipation for the next adventure, and the detractors who proclaim the character to be too retro or passé. Director Zack Snyder seems to believe that the gap between the two can be bridged.

By EdGross - Mar 03, 2011 08:03 AM EST
Filed Under: Superman

Interview conducted by and © Edward Gross

For the full Zack Snyder interview, check out issue #52 of SciFi Now Magazine, on sale soon.




"You’ve got to keep in mind that they look at Superman as passé because that is the way he’s been approached in the movies,” says Snyder. “It’s not like the movies have done anything to fight that, so all I can say is that Chris [Nolan] and David [Goyer] address that in their story. I think the challenge is to make him relevant – figure out how we can make them care about him. That is the challenge.”

He believes a good part of meeting that challenge is the casting of Henry Cavill as the Man of Steel. “He just did a great job with the material that we had him try out, so it was a win-win situation,” he notes. “He’s definitely – without saying what our Superman is – it. He knows how to do what we needed him to do.”

As to the appeal of taking on the character, Snyder enthuses, “Superman’s the king daddy; he’s the shit. If you can make him work, in the end there’s nobody else in the superhero world. For me, Watchmen was the exact opposite of Superman in that now that I’ve deconstructed the superhero world — I tore the curtain down — maybe I’m the right guy to put it back up.”

Exciting and daunting as well is the notion that with this film he will become a part of a much bigger legacy.

“It’s like participating in the Olympics,” he smiles. “I know that’s a weird metaphor, but, you know, there is definitely a historical aspect that is beyond you. The character is bigger than you and you have to keep that in mind. And the character will continue when you’re done. I feel pretty good about that now.”
SUPERMAN Set Video Finds Mr. Terrific Behaving Very Strangely - Is He Interacting With [SPOILER]?
Related:

SUPERMAN Set Video Finds Mr. Terrific Behaving Very Strangely - Is He Interacting With [SPOILER]?

SUPERMAN Set Photo Recreates A Touching Moment From DC Comics' ALL-STAR SUPERMAN
Recommended For You:

SUPERMAN Set Photo Recreates A Touching Moment From DC Comics' ALL-STAR SUPERMAN

DISCLAIMER: ComicBookMovie.com is protected under the DMCA (Digital Millenium Copyright Act) and... [MORE]

ComicBookMovie.com, and/or the user who contributed this post, may earn commissions or revenue through clicks or purchases made through any third-party links contained within the content above.

1 2 3 4
Dmon
Dmon - 3/3/2011, 8:19 AM
Awesome Ed. I think this movie has the potential to be the best CBM ever.
AgentVenom
AgentVenom - 3/3/2011, 8:20 AM
Watchmen proved to me that Zach cares about the source material and because he didnt write the basis of the story, i trust that this film will deliver
MarkCassidy
MarkCassidy - 3/3/2011, 8:23 AM
Nice one Ed. I didn't realize you wrote for Sci Fi Now? Love that mag!
EdGross
EdGross - 3/3/2011, 8:24 AM
Hey, RorMachine, I'm in pretty much every issue.
MAXQ1961
MAXQ1961 - 3/3/2011, 8:24 AM
Now we can only hope you can make a movie for the fans to care about and to see
hovis5818
hovis5818 - 3/3/2011, 8:25 AM
Great Article man!
dfresh
dfresh - 3/3/2011, 8:25 AM
Ed Gross is blowin' up!
ThaMessenger07
ThaMessenger07 - 3/3/2011, 8:29 AM
@ Dmon:

I Agree. Regardless if you Love or Hate Superman he is the ultimate Superhero. They were created in his image essentially.
RexDartEskimoSpy
RexDartEskimoSpy - 3/3/2011, 8:34 AM
“Superman’s the king daddy; he’s the shit." This kind of eloquence just fills me with confidence. Can't wait to see Superman fight Zod in super slow motion while inappropriate rock music blares from the soundtrack.

I enjoy flipping through SciFi Now at the bookstore, Ed. (Don't look at me like that - import magazines are ten bucks or more!)
KUSlacker
KUSlacker - 3/3/2011, 8:36 AM
Watchmen was brilliant!!! He did great with it and so very super excited to see what he does with this!
ablee337
ablee337 - 3/3/2011, 8:36 AM
Thanks Ed. Another great interview. Can't wait to read the full version.
LEEE777
LEEE777 - 3/3/2011, 8:45 AM
AWESOME interview @ ED!!!



Heyyyyy, u could've talked about DOOMSDAY tho!

; P
Fortress
Fortress - 3/3/2011, 8:46 AM
This movie is going to awesome........
EdGross
EdGross - 3/3/2011, 8:46 AM
Like he would have given me any plot information.

And, Teabag, WAY too much information.
Fortress
Fortress - 3/3/2011, 8:55 AM
I hope they give henry a suit just like chris reeves...

Like it is in the comics... not like singers dark 3D S version!
dnno1
dnno1 - 3/3/2011, 8:57 AM
I think it is too soon to say that it will be awesome yet. Let's wait to see what else develops first. A script leak or some concept art might help.
GarthRanzz
GarthRanzz - 3/3/2011, 9:03 AM
Could this top The Dark Knight Rises as the top grossing movie of 2012?
Shaman
Shaman - 3/3/2011, 9:04 AM
Great work, Ed! And yes, Snyder's Superman film will decimate ALL!!! I have no doubt that it will indeed be the best comic book film EVER (At least for the majority of us CBM fanboys :)) The general audience can have their King's Speech LOL
StrangerX
StrangerX - 3/3/2011, 9:05 AM
I'm all for this movie surpassing TDK
write33
write33 - 3/3/2011, 9:06 AM
he is saying ALL the right things!!!!

ugh, man, I love Superman, always have and always will. I so so want this to be the epic it's (in the EARLY stages of course) seeming to be...
RyKnow
RyKnow - 3/3/2011, 9:06 AM
"...I think the challenge is to make him relevant – figure out how we can make them care about him. That is the challenge."

Speaking for myself, I'd care about Superman more if Zack the Hack would keep his grubby mits off the project.

@RexDartEskimoSpy - Again my friend, I agree with you.
ComradeGrey
ComradeGrey - 3/3/2011, 9:09 AM
He talks a good game...more substantial than anything he said about Watchmen. But we'll see if he can deliver. For this movie to be good, you shouldn't really be able to tell that Zack Snyder directed it. Then he will have succeeded, by sacrificing his own ego for the betterment of the story.
Shaman
Shaman - 3/3/2011, 9:14 AM
"If i die, before i wake, i pray the lord... that it'll be after i've watched Snyder's Superman film... at least a dozen times... in theaters and at home... on a home theater system with a huge ass plazma 3D screen... and not the ones that give you headaches." :P

ComradeGrey- What you call "ego", i call "style, flair and talent". So IMO putting that aside is the last thing he should do. "Hey here's an idea for ya Zack! How about... you direct the movie... in a way that no one could ever tell it's YOUR work of art??? Huh? huh? :))" Yeah-NO! That would be like suggesting to Picasso to paint with his nipples instead of a brush.

And seriously, when does a story "suffer" from a director's style? If the story's good, it'll stand on it's own ALONG SIDE the brilliant visual flair the director brings. Just like for comics, story and art go hand in hand yet neither is dependant on the other. I mean look at Batman Begins, the story was so brilliant that even Nolan's lack of "fighting scene filming" skills didn't even affect it! As for TDK... all it was was a brilliant story with little to no fighting, so he banked. And as for Supes, i think it's natural to have brought the director(Snyder) that has successfully brought his own spin to superhero/soldier fight scenes that didn't entirely depend on martial art choreographies.

Although i do understand if you're just not a fan of Snyder at all. I avoid John Romita Jr's art like the plague, yet it doesn't make the story any worse, i just chose to skip out on it altogether. So i guess anybody has the same choice. Unfortunately, you'll have to wait til he's done his run before you can pick up on the next director's run. That's always a bummer.
kalelvis
kalelvis - 3/3/2011, 9:16 AM
Hey all, this is my first post, but I was wondering if anyone else gets sick of Warners and DC always talking in terms of his relevance impacting his popularity? I have been reading the comics since the Man Of Steel reboot and for me, it is more an issue of presenting good stories. Anytime they jump the shark they blame the drop in Superman's popularity to his relevance to the modern audience.

The Big S doesn't need re-imagined, he just needs action packed imaginative stories.

Of course, I will stand by the notion that if SR had contained a epic fight scene it would have been a hit.

Fortress
Fortress - 3/3/2011, 9:19 AM
CHRIS NOLAN / ZACK SNYDER/ GOYER...etc im very confident in saying this will be an awesome cbm!
JULEZ13
JULEZ13 - 3/3/2011, 9:26 AM
I always knew he was the best man for this job! Snyder is gonna deliver!! I'm even more amped for this movie. I have no doubt that this movie will be better then TDK! Superman FTW!!! {D
113
113 - 3/3/2011, 9:40 AM
As long as it's based on Birthright!
SupermanReturns2006
SupermanReturns2006 - 3/3/2011, 9:47 AM
I cannot hardly wait to see this actor step in the Red and Blue costume with the Red Cape.
EpicMovieFan
EpicMovieFan - 3/3/2011, 9:58 AM
This is going to be the best CBM ever! Hands Down. Snyder and Nolan?! Please and thank you. Haha
write33
write33 - 3/3/2011, 10:00 AM
@kalelvis

welcome!

sadly, "relevance" seems to be the neverending (Super pun intended) monkey on Superman's back. despite multimedia success (hello JLU or Smallville) he still gets questioned if he 'matters.' SR tried to address that but did so in ways I deem clumsy and ridiculous.........he's an abandoning father?? the world needs a savior?? no way, Superman doesn't exist to make people feel helpless...............(sorry, I love Superman and hate hate that movie's story / perspective on him)

that said, I think the WB in general is uninspiring for their take on characters. the Wonder Woman show is shaping up to be nothing like WW in my mind. GL looks odd, maybe it will surprise. I hope so. Overall WB is like Fox. they seem to get more lucky than not when it comes to getting characters "right"......ah well, at least in Nolan I trust.
DaenerysTargaryen
DaenerysTargaryen - 3/3/2011, 10:01 AM
Nolan+Snyder+Superman+Henry cavill= match made in heaven

;)
Trapdinsteel
Trapdinsteel - 3/3/2011, 10:09 AM
"fans of the character who can’t hide their anticipation for the next adventure, and the detractors who proclaim the character to be too retro or passé. Director Zack Snyder seems to believe that the gap between the two can be bridged."

Hmm, I hope Snyder is reading my mind and sets Kal-el's arrival back in the 50's showing a very young Kent couple finding him showing Clark age slower than a human into the Modern day where the Kents are in their 70's. This provides the reason for why his moral fiber is so strong growing up with the Kents all of those years as a product of the Americana age merging with modern times.
Digitaria51
Digitaria51 - 3/3/2011, 10:09 AM
I think we can all agree the biggest flaw in Superman Returns was the lack of showcasing his power. Sure, he lifted a giant island into space, but I was hoping for some hand-to-hand combat, windows shattering, earth moving sh*t. They did a nice job in The Incredible Hulk having him fight a villian of the same caliber. That being said, is Zod confirmed? If not, I think it will be a toss up between Zod, Darkseid or Doomsday. Regardless, I just want to see a more physical Superman
Twenty23Three
Twenty23Three - 3/3/2011, 10:24 AM
Superman = the king daddy, well said Mr Snyder well said.
LP4
LP4 - 3/3/2011, 10:29 AM
They seem to be approaching the WRONG problem. Problem was never that he wasn't modern enough. Main problem was that the films were always BORING. It's one thing to make him more modern but if the film is still boring it will still tank just as badly as Superman-Returns did.

The main complain most people had was the lack of action in SR...nobody cared about the damn timeline. Sure it was an 80's time era (though BrIan Stinker was obviously confused because it was intended to be an 80's timeline though some kid had a camera phone lol) and i know it was an 80's timeline because it was a sequel to the Reeve stuff within the Reeve-ERA. So I think BrIan Stinker was just a tad bit confused on that one among many other things he messed up.

Anyway I'm not looking for an argument, just stating here what I thought the REAL problem was and what most people said the problem was with the last film. And it definitely wasn't the lack-of-modernity.

Shaman
Shaman - 3/3/2011, 10:32 AM
Trapdinsteel- That... sounds... goooooooooooooood!!! Like, really really good! I sure hope he does read your mind, or comment :))

LP4- I think when they say they need to modernise Superman, they don't mean his character per say but rather the story they'll use for the next film. I'm sure after SR they felt the Donner films were outdated (as pretty much every critic slapped them in the face while saying it) so they'll re-invent a more modernized story of Superman's concept(without so much changing the character itself). So there wasn't a lack of modern "aspects" in SR but it was still the same outdated storyline being continued. They just need to make the new generations relate to Superman in a brand spanking new and modern story. Kinda like taking the same good ol' character and putting him smack dab in the middle of our day and age, with all the repercussions :)
LP4
LP4 - 3/3/2011, 10:54 AM
@Shaman- True...I just hope they put some god damn action in this film =P
1 2 3 4
View Recorder