The Losers is based off the 2004-2005 DC Vertigo comic about a Special Forces team used by the C.I.A. and left for dead. Of course, they survive and plan revenge against their handler, Max, and his covert missions. LA Times writer, Geoff Boucher, spoke with some of the principals for this upcoming movie.
Sylvain White on what drew him in as a director for this movie:
“When I first read the screenplay, what struck me, the initial spark, was the opportunity for a really interesting mix of tones. It struck me almost as a comedy disguised in an action film. I felt recently there had been a lot of action movies that embrace grittiness and realness but also fall into a very straight and dark tone, generally. I thought here there was a really interesting balance drawn from the 2004 and 2005 [comics] reinventions of ‘The Losers’ that had hard, gritty action with a fun, light tone.”
Does this sound like another movie coming out this Summer starring a team of ex-military characters accused of wrong doing? That doesn't bother Sylvain:
"I wasn't aware the other movie was coming when I was busy fabricating and creating this film. All I can do is make the movie I want to make and do the best I can. I'm not worried about the 'A-Team,' our movie comes first and has a very different plot. ... As far as aesthetic, there are a lot of gimmicks with action movies right now, a lot of frenetic edit, techy exposition and nonsense. With this movie I really tried to give it a certain elegance.
The movie almost didn't get made. Joel Silver was developing a rival project, a remake of
The Dirty Dozen, while Akiva Goldsman had
The Losers.
"It kept getting more traction than our picture," said Silver.
"It just seemed fresher and younger than our picture. I was kind of saddled with a creaky story. ... I hope someday to still pull that movie off, but right now this looked like the better way to go. When 'The Losers' kind of shutdown and looked like it wouldn't happen at Warners, I went to the studio and said, 'Hey, let us do it.' And Akiva came back on board with us."
White was also very impressed with Zoe Saldana:
"She is incredible in this film and she had already shown that she can really handle the drama, and with this she shows how great she is with the intense action stuff and there's a great balance that she brings. Her character brings a lot of the controversy to the plot and drama to the plot, but at the same time she is the savior. She is probably the hardest fighter of them all too. Instead of the damsel in distress, she's the one that gives the call to action. She's the one that gives them the opportunity to redeem themselves."