Director Zack Snyder and producer Deborah Snyder at Next on Netflix Animation Preview. Photo: Netflix.
Preview:
Zack Snyder will finally get to make ‘The Last Photograph’.
He has cast ‘Rebel Moon’s Fra Fee and Stuart Martin in the movie.
It follows an ex-DEA agent hunting for missing family members.
Having put aside his giant ‘Rebel Moon’ sci-fi franchise for now, Zack Snyder is taking time to finally put something more personal before the cameras.
Deadline reports that the director is getting ready to start production on longstanding passion project ‘The Last Photograph’.
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But he hasn’t entirely forgotten ‘Rebel Moon’, as two of the actors from that movie –– Fra Fee and Stuart Martin –– are aboard to lead ‘The Last Photograph’.
Director Zack Snyder at Next on Netflix Animation Preview. Photo: Netflix.
With a story crafted by Snyder and veteran collaborator Kurt Johnstad (the latter wrote the actual screenplay), ‘The Last Photograph’ follows an ex-DEA operative who must return to the mountains of South America in an effort to find his missing niece and nephew, following the brutal murders of their diplomat parents.
Enlisting the help of a washed-up junkie war photographer, the only person to have seen the face of the killers, he sets out, determined to find the children and the truth, but soon learns he must also face the ghosts of his past.
Here’s Snyder telling Deadline what the movie means to him:
“The idea of taking camera in hand and simply making a movie in an intimate way is very appealing to me. ‘The Last Photograph’ is a meditation of life and death, embodying some of the trials that I have experienced in my own life and the exploration of those ideas through image making.”
Snyder, working alongside producing partner/wife Deborah Snyder and fellow producer Wesley Coller, has wrangled together the funding for this one partly thanks to a tax incentive based in Colombia. The movie will shoot in the country as well as Iceland and Los Angeles.
With a score to be written by Hans Zimmer, Steven Doar and Omer Benyamin, the movie starts shooting this month.
Where else can we see Fra Fee and Stuart Martin?
Fra Fee attends the Netflix Premiere of Zack Snyder’s ‘Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire’ at TCL Chinese Theatre on December 13, 2023 in Hollywood, California. Photo: Phillip Faraone/Getty Images for Netflix.
Martin has been part of just-launched TV series ‘In Flight’ and is attached to another show, ‘Atomic’. Beyond those, there are the in-development movie likes of ‘Storm Witch’ and ‘From These Ashes’.
‘The Last Photograph’ has yet to lock down a distributor, but given Snyder’s name behind it, we doubt it’ll take too long to find a willing company.
Zack Snyder attends the Netflix’s Tudum: A Global Fan Event 2023 at Fundação Bienal de São Paulo on June 17, 2023 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Photo by Alexandre Schneider/Getty Images for NETFLIX.
Director Zack Snyder at Next on Netflix Animation Preview. Photo: Netflix.
Preview:
Zack Snyder is planning an untitled new thriller.
Regular collaborator Kurt Johnstad is co-writing the movie.
It’ll be set among LAPD cops and released by Netflix.
While Zack Snyder is more known for bringing us zombie hordes, giant historical battles, superhero brooding or big-scale science fiction, it appears he’s ready to stay a little more down to Earth for his next movie.
Following the two-part ‘Rebel Moon’ (which expanded even further with directors’ cuts), Netflix is apparently happy to keep throwing money his way, as Snyder is now developing a new action thriller for the streaming service.
This time around, the director will swap giant spaceships for the gritty streets of Los Angeles via an yet-to-be-titled movie.
Exact plot details are being kept behind bars for now, but according to The Hollywood Reporter, the action thriller is being described as being set in the high-stakes world of life and death and centered on an elite LAPD unit that is relentlessly confronted with the unforgiving collision of law and morality.
Who else is working on Zack Snyder’s new movie?
Director Zack Snyder and producer Deborah Snyder at Next on Netflix Animation Preview. Photo: Netflix.
At Snyder’s side as always will be his wife and business partner Deborah Snyder, who’ll produce alongside the director and Wesley Coller via the trio’s Stone Quarry banner.
And on the scripting front, Kurt Johnstad, who worked with Snyder on ‘300’ and the ‘Rebel Moon’ movies is back to co-write.
Here’s what Snyder told the Reporter about the new project:
“Years ago, Dan [Lin, Netflix’s head of film] and I had a conversation about our shared interest in telling a compelling and visceral character-driven story set within the intense, complex and captivating landscape of the LAPD. It’s a conversation that has stuck with me. So, as you would expect, I’m very excited to now have the opportunity to partner with Dan, along with the rest of my amazing partners at Netflix, in developing this story.”
It’ll also allow the director to make up for an old lost opportunity –– he was attached to direct ‘S.W.A.T.’ for Sony years ago when attempting to make the shift from music videos and commercials to movies. It didn’t work out over a disagreement on the rating (Snyder wanted to make it an R-rated movie; the studio preferred PG-13).
What else is Zack Snyder working on?
Zack Snyder attends the Netflix’s Tudum: A Global Fan Event 2023 at Fundação Bienal de São Paulo on June 17, 2023 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Photo by Alexandre Schneider/Getty Images for NETFLIX.
Snyder recently released animated saga ‘Twilight of the Gods’ (on which he was a writer and director) via the streamer.
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His ‘Army of the Dead’ spin-offs (beyond live-action prequel ‘Army of Thieves’) appear to be still shuffling through development, but he has other projects on the bubble, including TV series ‘Until the Last One,’ on which he’s a producer.
Oh, and when not cranking out movie ideas, he’s also turned his hand to pottery. So at least he has something to fall back on, just in case (no, we’re not kidding).
Director Zack Snyder Talks ‘Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver.’
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with co-creator and executive producer Zack Snyder, as well as executive producer Wesley Coller about their work on ‘Twilight of the Gods’, Snyder’s interest in Norse mythology, reinventing it for a new audience, the freedom of animation, bringing Snyder’s unique filmmaking style to the series, the voice cast, and Hans Zimmer’s score.
Director Zack Snyder at Next on Netflix Animation Preview. Photo: Netflix.
Moviefone: Zack, can you talk about your interest in Norse Mythology and breaking the story for the series?
Zack Snyder: I’ve long had an interest in Norse mythology. I think it’s easy to be seduced and captivated by the adventures of these gods. Viking gods are interesting to anybody, obviously. When we talked about the show, we had this character of Sigrid and that she was this Warrior Shield maiden. We really wanted to focus on this love affair between she and Leif because I really love the idea of the tenderness and deep connection that these two have with each other, and that through it all, through the landscape of these gods on their whims that can destroy us, but their love the thing that holds the whole universe together for them. We really loved that idea. The great thing about doing a series is that you have time to develop those relationships and really dig into the whys and wherefores of these characters. So yeah, it was super fun and super satisfying to realize.
MF: Wesley, can you talk about the challenges of adapting Zack’s specific visual style to this animated series?
Wesley Coller: It was a great experience. We’ve done animation before, so it wasn’t wholly new to us, but doing 2D in a series space is a whole different ask. For me, what I loved about it is I could make no assumptions, which as a producer are my favorite junctures, where nothing’s on autopilot. I must really be open to learning and being a part of a process that is new in this 2D series space. I think in terms of having that work with Zack’s style, it was a natural fit. I think the fact that here’s this beautiful 2D landscape, the designs that Zack and everybody came up with is amazing. I think it’s an amazing foundation to tell this mythical epic story where there’s man and gods and giants and dragons. I think that it created a place for the story to be told at the scale, at the pace, all the things that directorially, Zack the team wanted to do. For me, I think that it was a really just organic fit and process, and watching that take place and being a part of that was really an honor and I’m so thrilled with how it turned out.
MF: Zack, you make big movies based on big ideas, is there a certain freedom that comes with animation because you can execute anything that you can imagine?
ZS: There is. I think that it’s fun to do a scene with something outrageous in it and not have to worry about how we’re going to do it, because that’s a big part of being a filmmaker, is the sort of puzzling out of the production methodology that would be the most effective for rendering these crazy images. I think for me, I draw, so when you draw something crazy and you’re like, “Well, how are we going to film that?” It’s a big deal. Everyone’s like, “Oh, you can’t do that.” We do hear that a lot in live action. But here they’re like, “Yeah, we’ll just make that. Why not?” So, it’s quite liberating in some ways.
MF: Wesley, can you talk about assembling the voice cast?
WC: I think just like anytime you’re casting, you go into that process looking for the person, the voice, that presence that’s going to really embody that character. We were talking about at one point that because it’s animation, the ask of time is less. So even our busiest friends and people we’ve worked with before, it was not a huge ask to be able to carve out a little bit of time. Zack really got to say, “You know who’d be great for this?” And we got to just go straight for those people. I’m so thrilled with the casting and I feel like the performances they deliver are just amazing. You put those (voices) in this story, this world with this visual aesthetic and I just think it’s a captivating watch.
MF: Zack, can you talk about having the opportunity to reintroduce characters like Thor, Loki and Odin to a new audience that may only know of them from the Marvel movies?
ZS: I think that for me it was fun to get at their real Norse mythological origins. This is sort of the non-commercial version of the Norse gods and maybe it’s a fun dive to go see how flawed and crazy they really were. I think that’s just incredible. Like our Odin is just off the charts freaky, and I love him.
MF: Finally, Wesley, can you talk about Hans Zimmer’s score and what it adds to the series?
WC: Fortunately, we have a relationship with him and when we started talking about what to do for score, reaching out to Hans was something that we just immediately thought that would be amazing. We reached out and he put together the team and they just collectively came back to us with the most amazing score. It was funny because they came to us with the first pass, which was great, but there were some unique, edgy ideas that they had peppered in. We heard it and the note was just more of that. “Just go for it. There should be no restraints on this and have fun with it and get weird with it.” They came back on pass two and had infused so much more of that. I’m so thrilled with that. I feel like it is really part of the DNA of the story.
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What is the plot of ‘Twilight of the Gods’?
In a mythical world of great battles, great deeds and great despair, Leif (Stuart Martin), a mortal King, is saved on the battlefield by Sigrid (Sylvia Hoeks), an iron-willed warrior with whom he falls in love. On their wedding night, Sigrid and Leif survive a wrath of terror from Thor (Pilou Asbæk), which sets them – and a crew of crusaders – on an against all odds and merciless mission for vengeance. This heroic story of love, loss and revenge, is a journey to Hell and beyond… across fantastical lands, battlefields fierce and bloody, and wars waged against Gods and demons.
(Left) Titus Welliver as Harry Bosch in ‘Bosch: Legacy.’ Photo: Tyler Golden. Copyright: Amazon Freevee. (Center) Katee Sackhoff attends the studio showcase panel at Star Wars Celebration in Anaheim, California on May 26, 2022. Photo by Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Disney. (Right) Matthew Rhys in ‘The Americans’. Photo: FX Productions.
Preview:
Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ Watchmen has been adapted into an animated movie.
Titus Welliver, Katee Sackhoff and Matthew Rhys are leading the cast.
J. Michael Straczynski wrote the two-part adaptation.
‘Watchmen’ still stands as one of the most influential graphic novels of all time and has been a big challenge to adapt.
It doesn’t help that original co-creator Alan Moore (who crafted the book with artist Dave Gibbons) is no fan of anyone trying to convert his work into a new medium.
We can only imagine, then, that he’s busy conjuring a damning spell to thwart the latest effort, but he’s too late –– after being announced at last year’s Comic-Con, an animated, two-part movie called ‘Watchman: Chapter I’, based on the graphic novel is on the way (and has been in the works since at least 2021), with Matthew Rhys, Katee Sackhoff and Titus Welliver in the lead roles.
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What’s the story of the ‘Watchmen’ animated movie?
Doctor Manhattan in ‘Watchmen: Chapter 1’. Photo: DC Studios.
The movie will once again bring to screens Moore and Gibbons’ story, published in 1986 and set in an alternative world in which costumed vigilantes are real. Inspired by Moore being unable to use some of DC’s big name characters, he created his own alternates and challenged the nature and morality of superhero storytelling.
Rhys will voice Dan Dreiberg (aka Nite Owl), Sackhoff will voice Laurie Juspeczyk (aka Silk Spectre), while Welliver will voice Walter Kovacs (aka Rorschach).
Troy Baker will voice Adrian Veidt (aka Ozymandias), while Michael Ceveris will voice Jonathan Osterman (aka Dr. Manhattan).
Who else is in the new ‘Watchmen’ movie?
The Comedian in ‘Watchmen: Chapter 1’. Photo: DC Studios.
Rorschach in ‘Watchmen: Chapter 1’. Photo: DC Studios.
Both parts of the movie have been adapted by ‘Babylon 5’ creator J. Michael Straczynski, though he has confirmed on social media that he’s not made huge changes to the scripts:
I can now talk about it as the news is breaking. I adapted WATCHMEN for Warners animation. By “adapted” I mean strictly configuring the structure to work in a movie. I saw no need to write more material or change what works in the book. It’s pure Moore. https://t.co/iy4Q0yqW61
— J. Michael Straczynski (@straczynski) July 10, 2024
Warner Animation veteran Brandon Vietti is in the director’s chair for both chapters.
Zack Snyder finally succeeded, with his (mostly) faithful live-action adaptation debuting in 2009 to mixed reviews and $185.3 million worldwide. It was supported by its own animation, a take on the graphic novel’s story-within-the-story ‘Tales of the Black Freighter’.
Damon Lindelof won praise for his 2019 HBO series, which continues the story 30 years after the events of the graphic novel, drawing from the canon history but also going off in interesting new directions.
When will ‘Watchmen: Chapter I’ be on screens?
Rorschach in ‘Watchmen: Chapter 1’. Photo: DC Studios.
The first Chapter will debut on August 13th for digital purchase and on August 27th on 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray. ‘Watchmen Chapter II’ will be released in late 2024.
Find the trailer for Chapter I below:
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Doctor Manhattan in ‘Watchmen: Chapter 1’. Photo: DC Studios.
Appearing in-person were Zack and Deborah Snyder, Craig Robinson, Nick Kroll and Nathan Lane
Netflix announced several new animated movies and TV shows
Timothy Olyphant will voice the Terminator in ‘Terminator Zero’ and Hayley Atwell will voice Lara Croft in ‘Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft’
On Thursday June 6th, in Hollywood, Netflix held their Next on Netflix Animation Preview where they presented many of their upcoming animated movies and TV shows.
Moviefone had the pleasure of attending the event, with other members of the press, and even had a chance to speak one on one with Zach Snyder about his work on ‘Twilight of the Gods’.
Host Christopher Sean at Next on Netflix Animation Preview. Photo: Netflix.
The event began with a sizzle reel of Netflix’s upcoming animated projects, which you can watch above. Below is a list of projects presented at the event.
Adult series from action with ‘Arcane’, ‘Twilight of the Gods’ and ‘Terminator Zero’, to comedy with ‘Exploding Kittens’ and the final season of ‘Big Mouth’.
Following the success of all-audience hits like ‘The Sea Beast’ and ‘Leo’, come new films including ‘The Imaginary’, ‘Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie’, ‘Spellbound’, ‘That Christmas’, ‘Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl’, ‘The Twits’, ‘K-Pop: Demon Hunters’, ‘Plankton: The Movie’, ‘Pookoo’; and series like ‘Motel Transylvania’ and ‘Jurassic World: Chaos Theory’.
Preschool shows featuring little ones’ favorite friends with ‘CoComelon’, ‘CoComelon Lane’, and ‘Gabby’s Dollhouse’, which collectively amassed more than 650M views last year.
The presentation saw the debut of images and footage from many of Netflix’s upcoming animated projects. Among the first look images presented were photos from Zack Snyder’s ‘Twilight of the Gods’, the SpongeBob SquarePants spinoff ‘Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie’, the new Wallace and Gromit movie ‘Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl’ and from ‘Love Actually’ filmmaker Richard Curtis, ‘That Christmas’.
‘That Christmas’. Photo: Netflix.
The event also included several cast and project announcements including Natalie Portman and Emilia Clarke joining ‘Twits’, Simu Liu joining Craig Robinson in ‘In Your Dreams,’ Timothy Olyphant voicing the Terminator in ‘Terminator Zero’ and Hayley Atwell playing the lead character in ‘Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft’. Other announcements included another SpongeBob SquarePants spinoff ‘Plankton: The Movie’, as well as a TV series based on the ‘Hotel Transylvania’ franchise called ‘Motel Transylvania’.
We also screened footage from the series ‘Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft’, ‘Terminator Zero’, and ‘Twilight of the Gods’, as well as a teaser for a ‘Minecraft’ series, and concept art from upcoming ‘Ghostbusters’ and ‘Stranger Things’ animated shows. Footage from ‘Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie’, ‘In Your Dreams’, ‘That Christmas’, ‘The Twits’, and ‘Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl’ was also shown.
‘Big Mouth’s Final Season
Nick Kroll at Next on Netflix Animation Preview. Photo: Netflix.
Comedian and actor Nick Kroll was on hand to discuss the 8th and final season of his popular adult comedy ‘Big Mouth’, and introduced a table read montage video from the series.
“We started ‘Big Mouth’ eight years ago. Season Eight will be coming out early next year. It’s our final season of the show. I think about where when we started, ‘BoJack Horseman’ had come out and we were in the next little round of animation at a time when Netflix itself was just beginning to do original programming. We had unbelievable freedom to create exactly the show we wanted to make. Netflix really gave us the freedom to do that. Eight seasons later, we will be the longest running series in Netflix history for an adult series. I’m incredibly proud of that and I’m proud of how we’ve made the show. I’m proud of the partnership we’ve had with Netflix, and it’s just been an unbelievable joy creating this show with Mark Levin, Jennifer Flackett and Andrew Goldberg, our unbelievable cast, our unbelievable writers, and are unbelievable storyboard artists, editors, everyone involved in the engineering of it, the producers, and our partners at Titmouse. This has been an incredible labor of love.”
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Craig Robinson’s Dual Roles
Craig Robinson at Next on Netflix Animation Preview. Photo: Netflix.
Actor, comedian, and singer Craig Robinson took the stage to discuss two upcoming films he will appear in. First, he introduced a scene from ‘Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie’.
“Hey, everybody! I’m here today because SpongeBob is back — and so are his friends. ‘Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie’ is coming exclusively to Netflix in August, and I’m so pumped to be in it”
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Craig Robinson at Next on Netflix Animation Preview. Photo: Netflix.
Robinson then discussed his other Netflix movie, ‘In Your Dreams’ before introducing a video of actor Simu Liu talking about his involvement in the project and presenting a clip from the film.
“As awesome as it was to finally reach a place in my career where I got to voice a Squirrel Dad, it pales in comparison to my next role. I think it proves I’m at the top of my game: A stuffed giraffe. I was told by the filmmakers that I was their first and only choice. They said, “Craig, you were born to play this part.” His name’s Tony Baloney, because he’s stuffed with processed meat. Oh, and he can shoot laser farts. That’s awesome. Daniel Day Lewis had ‘Lincoln’, I got Baloney Tony. I’m already working on my Oscar speech.”
Nathan Lane at Next on Netflix Animation Preview. Photo: Netflix.
Before introducing an animation test from the film ‘Pookoo’, acclaimed actor Nathan Lane discussed his upcoming animated movie ‘Spellbound’.
“’Spellbound’ is about Ellian, the tenacious young daughter of the rulers of Lumbria. She has a secret; a mysterious spell has turned her parents into monsters! Ellian loves her parents. That’s why she summons the mysterious Oracles of the Sun and Moon. I play the Oracle of the Moon and Tituss Burgess plays the Oracle of the Sun and we come to help her break the spell. The cast also includes some other great actors: Rachel Zegler, Nicole Kidman, Javier Bardem, John Lithgow, and Jenifer Lewis. It also has music by Academy Award winning composer Alan Menken. The film is directed by Vicky Jensen, who also directed a little movie you may have heard of called ‘Shrek.’ ‘Spellbound’ is a big adventure for the whole family, filled with incredible new characters you’ll love. I’m excited to share that the movie, which will release globally on Netflix on November 22, 2024.”
Director Zack Snyder and producer Deborah Snyder at Next on Netflix Animation Preview. Photo: Netflix.
Director Zack Snyder (‘Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire’) and his wife, producer Deborah Snyder presented footage and images from their new animated series ‘Twilight of the Gods’.
Zack Snyder said this about the series:
“’Twilight of the Gods’ was a show that we’ve been working on for quite some time, years in the making. I’ve always been obsessed with Norse mythology. I think it’s an amazing place. I love mythology in general, and so the idea of being able to dig into this rich tapestry of heroes and gods was an incredible opportunity for both of us. This show is really a story. It’s a story about love and revenge, and it just takes us across this massive and beautiful landscape in pursuit of, well, you’ll have to see.”
Deborah Snyder added this:
“As Zack said, it’s been about just over four years in the making, developing these scripts and then having an in-house team of about 48 artists who developed all the characters and the worlds. In animation, nothing is for free. Every prop and everything, as you know, must be created. We were so lucky to be able to work with this group of very global artists.”
Director Zack Snyder at Next on Netflix Animation Preview. Photo: Netflix.
After the presentation, Moviefone had the pleasure of speaking briefly with Zack Snyder one on one about his new animated project.
Moviefone: To begin with, what drew you to adapting Norse mythology for this animated series?
Zack Snyder: Well, we’ve been talking about doing an animated project with Netflix. That had been a conversation that was going on. We had that conversation and are doing an ‘Army of the Dead’ animated series, so that was kind of happening at the same time. This happened because I think (Director) Jay (Oliva) and I were talking about how we both love Norse mythology; wouldn’t it be cool to do something in that world. We started talking to Netflix about it and they said, “Yeah, do that!” So that started us on the journey of developing it.
MF: Finally, I think fans have been waiting for you to adapt this specific mythology for a long time. Did it seem like a no-brainer for you too?
ZS: I think it was easy in us being excited every day. I wasn’t like, “I got to do that Norse mythology thing.” We were utterly and completely off the chain with (the animation) too, so that was cool.
Zack Snyder attends the Netflix’s Tudum: A Global Fan Event 2023 at Fundação Bienal de São Paulo on June 17, 2023 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Photo by Alexandre Schneider/Getty Images for NETFLIX.
Zack Snyder is one of the most polarizing filmmakers working today! You either love or hate Zack Snyder movies, there is really no in-between.
Fuelled by his restored faith in humanity and inspired by Superman’s (Henry Cavill) selfless act, Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck) and Diana Prince (Gal Gadot) assemble a team of metahumans consisting of Barry Allen (Ezra Miller), Arthur Curry (Jason Momoa) and Victor Stone (Ray Fisher) to face the catastrophic threat of Steppenwolf (Ciaran Hinds) and the Parademons who are on the hunt for three Mother Boxes on Earth.
Emily Browning as Babydoll in ‘Sucker Punch.’ Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures.
A young girl (Emily Browning), institutionalised by her abusive stepfather, retreats to an alternative reality as a coping strategy and envisions a plan to help her escape.
2010’s ‘Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole.’ Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures.
Soren (Jim Sturgess), a young barn owl, is kidnapped by owls of St. Aggie’s, ostensibly an orphanage, where owlets are brainwashed into becoming soldiers. He and his new friends escape to the island of Ga’Hoole, to assist its noble, wise owls who fight the army being created by the wicked rulers of St. Aggie’s. The film is based on the first three books in the series.
When a peaceful colony on the edge of a galaxy finds itself threatened by the armies of a tyrannical ruling force, Kora (Sofia Boutella), a mysterious stranger living among the villagers, becomes their best hope for survival.
Following a zombie outbreak in Las Vegas, a group of mercenaries take the ultimate gamble: venturing into the quarantine zone to pull off the greatest heist ever attempted.
A young boy learns that he has extraordinary powers and is not of this earth. As a young man (Henry Cavill), he journeys to discover where he came from and what he was sent here to do. But the hero in him must emerge if he is to save the world from annihilation and become the symbol of hope for all mankind.
(L to R) Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill in ‘Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.’ Photo: Warner Bros.
Fearing the actions of a god-like Super Hero left unchecked, Gotham City’s own formidable, forceful vigilante takes on Metropolis’s most revered, modern-day savior, while the world wrestles with what sort of hero it really needs. And with Batman (Ben Affleck) and Superman (Henry Cavill) at war with one another, a new threat quickly arises, putting mankind in greater danger than it’s ever known before.
Gerard Butler as Leonidas in ‘300.’ Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures.
Based on Frank Miller‘s graphic novel, “300” is very loosely based the 480 B.C. Battle of Thermopylae, where the King of Sparta (Gerard Butler) led his army against the advancing Persians; the battle is said to have inspired all of Greece to band together against the Persians, and helped usher in the world’s first democracy.
Determined to ensure Superman’s (Henry Cavill) ultimate sacrifice was not in vain, Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck) aligns forces with Diana Prince (Gal Gadot) with plans to recruit a team of metahumans to protect the world from an approaching threat of catastrophic proportions. The task proves more difficult than Bruce imagined, as each of the recruits must face the demons of their own pasts to transcend that which has held them back, allowing them to come together, finally forming an unprecedented league of heroes. Now united, Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman (Jason Momoa), Cyborg (Ray Fisher), and The Flash (Ezra Miller) may be too late to save the planet from Steppenwolf (Ciaran Hinds), DeSaad (Peter Guinness), and Darkseid (Ray Porter) and their dreadful intentions.
In a gritty and alternate 1985 the glory days of costumed vigilantes have been brought to a close by a government crackdown, but after one of the masked veterans is brutally murdered, an investigation into the killer is initiated. The reunited heroes set out to prevent their own destruction, but in doing so uncover a sinister plot that puts all of humanity in grave danger.
On Netflix on Friday, April 19th, ‘Rebel Moon: Part Two –– The Scargiver’ sees director Zack Snyder offering up the second chapter of his expansive, war-happy space adventure, this time with a narrowed focus and slightly more coherent storyline.
Yet, like the first part, it doesn’t work, falling into the feeling of a lower-rent ‘Star Wars’ movie that disappoints on many levels.
If you watched the first part of ‘Rebel Moon’ and had your socks knocked off at its audacious, sweeping scale and intense science fiction action… Then good for you. But we wonder if we watched a different movie.
For those who found that outing an unoriginal slog filled with cliches and tropes and wondered if a follow-up could do the impossible and actually come off worse, then… Zack Snyder is here to unfortunately confirm that suspicion.
Because ‘The Scargiver’ somehow manages to be full of battles and stakes and yet completely devoid of authentic emotion or reaction. True, some of the heroes here don’t make it out alive, but you honestly will not care. And the rest? Pure noise and bolted-together nonsense.
The script for ‘The Scargiver’ simply and obviously continues what ‘A Child of Fire’ began –– Sofia Boutella’s Kora has returned to the pastoral moon of Veldt with the warriors she thinks could defend the place. But bafflingly (due to some poorly explained Motherworld policy), she seems to believe that all will be well since she managed to slay Admiral Noble (Ed Skrein). Alas! Not only is Noble not dead thanks to some slightly Darth Vader-like medical treatment, but he’s also boiling with vengeance towards Kora and is only too happy to take it out on Veldt.
Yet the new movie somehow manages to waste even the vaguest spark of an idea, any potential value buried in a mire of off-the-peg motivational speeches that would make someone giving out advice at a Holiday Inn conference room cringe. Even seasoned performers such as Anthony Hopkins cannot make this stuff work.
The pacing is also way off, the first third of the movie stilted and awkward, grinding to a halt as various characters fill the people of Veldt (and, by extension, whoever is watching and not already asleep by that point) in on their backstories. There are zero surprises to be found here, except perhaps from Staz Nair’s Tarak, who it turns out is these days often shirtless but used to be a buttoned-up prince whose people used giant warbirds in the hope that they can battle spaceships –– it did not go well for them! Yet even that seemingly impressive sequence feels like Snyder borrowing, in this case from himself, as it has echoes of the opening scenes of ‘Man of Steel’.
Snyder also still indulges himself on the visual front –– for every impressive location shot or beautiful looking sequence of a ship against a giant ringed moon, there are a hundred generic moments of laser blast fire and such an overload of slow-motion that you could watch the movie on fast forward and large chunks of it would appear to be playing at normal speed. A director having a stamped-on style is one thing. A filmmaker lazily going to the well so many times that it quickly runs dry is quite another.
‘Rebel Moon’s returning cast don’t manage to spin the material into gold any more than they did the original. In many ways, they’re even more stranded among their director’s indulgences.
As we mentioned above, the initial chunk of the film splits its time between Ed Skrein’s Darth V… Sorry, Admiral Noble being angry (Skrein still at least seems to be having fun swallowing scenery) and either the warrior characters spinning their wheels talking about their background, or long, dull sequences of farming that make it all look like a Budweiser commercial.
Sofia Boutella carries the lion’s share of the character work, her own backstory an entirely unsurprising tale of betrayal, but even she’s stranded in a character who appears to have two modes: violent fighter or mopey love interest.
The likes of Bae Doona, Djimon Hounsou and E. Duffy likewise remain entirely wasted in their supporting roles, whose character development is relegated to fighting or worrying.
Everyone else is an archetype in search of a character, less active participants than human props.
An utterly disappointing follow-up to the first ‘Rebel Moon’ that we didn’t think was possible, this easily limbos under the low bar set by that movie. A waste of time, money and actors, it is reduced to embarrassingly cringeworthy moments such as a quartet still playing dramatic music in the same room as a king is being portrayed or long, battering sequences of war machines shooting at people.
This so wants to aim for the quality and majesty of movies such as the recent ‘Dune: Part Two’ but ends up hitting ‘Dumb: Part Two’. Snyder has already talked about, and leaves us with, hints of further stories to come, but that’s not something to anticipate after this.
‘Rebel Moon: Part Two –– The Scargiver’ receives 5.5 out of 10 stars.
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What is the plot of ‘Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver’?
Kora (Sofia Boutella) and the surviving warriors prepare to fight and defend their new homeworld Veldt against the Motherworld.
Who is in the cast of ‘Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver’?
Director Zack Snyder Talks ‘Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver.’
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with director and cinematographer Zack Snyder about his work on ‘Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver,’ creating the overall story, knowing where to split ‘A Child of Fire’ and ‘Scargiver’ into two different films, Kora’s journey, working with Sofia Boutella, shooting the battle sequences, and the future of the franchise.
You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with Snyder, Sofia Boutella, Michiel Huisman, Djimon Hounsou, Staz Nair, Elise Duffy, Ed Skrein and Fra Fee.
Zack Snyder attends the Netflix’s Tudum: A Global Fan Event 2023 at Fundação Bienal de São Paulo on June 17, 2023 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Photo by Alexandre Schneider/Getty Images for NETFLIX.
Moviefone: To begin with, can you talk about developing the overall story for these two films, when you realized it was too much story for one movie, and how you decided where to split the two films?
Zack Snyder: When Kurt (Johnstad) and Shay (Hatten) and I were working on the script, even as I was pitching it with Netflix in our early days, we knew we were over 220 pages for the script. We cut it down to the version that you see, and it was still a good solid two hours and the director’s cuts are a solid three hours each, so it’s a lot of material, obviously. So, I knew early on that we were going to have to cut it and we knew we had Gondival in the middle of the movie and that run-in with Noble, and so that was where we kind of thought, “Okay, that’s a good spot.” Kora has a small victory, but it’s a false victory and we felt like that would be a good place to break it. The truth is that I think once you see ‘Part Two,’ you’ll really understand that it’s one story.
MF: Can you talk about how Kora has changed from the first film, the importance of seeing this story through her eyes, and what it’s been like for you working with Sofia Boutella on these two movies?
ZS: First, I’ll just say Sofia’s an incredible partner and an incredible actress, and I trust her incredibly with the work and really rely on her physicality and her emotional strength. She’s just amazing. Also, I really feel like her story is an incredible story of redemption. You’ll find out in ‘Part Two” why she’s on the run, what she’s done and the importance that this kind of sacrifice has for her. How far she would be willing to go to be redeemed, I think is really an incredible and fun thing that she really personifies incredibly well.
MF: In addition to directing, you are also the cinematographer on ‘Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver.’ Can you talk about shooting the battle sequences and was it physically and emotionally challenging for you to do both?
ZS: Yeah, thankfully, I’m supported by this guy named John Clothier, who’s an incredible camera operator who I’ve been working with since ‘Watchmen,’ and he is an amazing resource. He’s the A camera operator, I’m the B camera operator, and so we work really in partnership. But during the battle sequences, all those explosions and stuff, we were just right in them, in the heart of them, getting plastered with dirt and debris every day. So yeah, it was really taxing and difficult for us to photograph, but super fun, rewarding and I wouldn’t do it any other way. It’s just like when you are in the trenches, literally with the guy’s filming, you really understand just what physically is happening and what emotionally needs to happen because you’re just right there and so it’s a kind of cool way to make a movie.
MF: Finally, are there more stories that you want to tell in the ‘Rebel Moon’ universe, and what is the future of the franchise?
ZS: Sure, absolutely. I would love to make some more ‘Rebel Moon’ movies. I mean, right now we’re trying to set up to make this little movie that I’ve been working on, so I might go do that, just as a palate cleanser. But in the end, I think the ‘Rebel Moon’ universe has some stories left in it, obviously based on the end of this movie.
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What is the plot of ‘Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver’?
Kora (Sofia Boutella) and the surviving warriors prepare to fight and defend their new homeworld Veldt against the Motherworld.
Who is in the cast of ‘Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver’?
A scene from ‘Squid Game’ season 2. Photo: Netflix.
Preview:
The first images of ‘Squid Game’ Season 2 are online.
Star Lee Jung-jae will be back with a mix of returning and new cast.
Netflix released a trailer for its new and returning shows for 2024.
The wait for a new season of ‘Squid Game’ has been almost as torturous as some of the twists in the first run, all the way back in 2021.
‘Squid Game’ become Netflix’s most-watched show, with the company estimating that subscribers worldwide streamed 1.65 billion hours of the show in the first 28 days of its release. It inspired many Halloween costumes based on the contestants’ numbered green tracksuits and the orange jumpsuit/face mask combination sported by guards on the show.
And while last year’s reality show ‘Squid Game: The Challenge’ may have tried to tide us all over, it was far from the real thing. The good news for fans, then, is that it’ll be back for a second season this year, with pictures to prove it.
A scene from ‘Squid Game’ season 2. Photo: Netflix.
Season One saw 456 cash-poor contestants are invited by a mysterious organization to compete in a series of children’s games – with deadly consequences – to win a piece of the ₩45.6 billion prize pool (around $38.5 million).
If you’re one of the potentially three people where Netflix is available that somehow didn’t watch the show, we won’t spoil anything further.
What will happen in the new season?
A scene from ‘Squid Game’ season 2. Photo: Netflix.
If you’re desperate for any tiny morsel of information, the details are so far very limited.
Here’s all we know… “Main man Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) abandons his US plans after a mysterious call and embarks on a chase with a motive.”
The new season will also welcome other beloved characters back like Front Man (Lee Byung-hun) and Recruiter (Gong Yoo). Adding to the intrigue, a new character played by Park Gyu-young makes her debut, sparking curiosity about the new character.
What other shows and movies will come to Netflix in 2024?
For those eager to hunt for more clues as to what will be happening, footage from ‘Squid Game’s second season was included in a big new trailer released by Netflix.
The trailer featured a wealth of looks at shows both old and new, plus movies that will launch. So if you’re a fan of ‘Cobra Kai’, ‘The Diplomat’, ‘Bridgerton’ and ‘Sweet Tooth’ or are anticipating new series including ‘3 Body Problem’, ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ and the arrival of movies such as ‘Axel F’, ‘Hit Man’, and the second entry in Zack Snyder’s ‘Rebel Moon’ franchise, chances are you’ll find something to get excited about here.
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Check out the trailer…
When will ‘Squid Game’s second season land on Netflix?
The streaming service has yet to confirm when the show will hit our screens, so for now we’ll just have to keep on waiting. Red light!
A scene from ‘Squid Game’ season 2. Photo: Netflix.
It is in no way surprising that this began life as a pitch Snyder presented to Lucasfilm way back in the days before Disney snapped it up. That Kathleen Kennedy passed on his side story set in that galaxy far, far is both good and bad news, and particularly positive if you’re a fan of the director’s distinctive visuals and action sense, as it’s full of both.
How you react to the movie might depend on what you’re looking for going in –– if you’re after a sweeping sci-fi epic full of scrappy underdogs looking to battle a powerful empire that is cracking down on any hint of rebellion well… if you’ve also watched ‘Star Wars’ than this might be a solid second choice.
Perhaps the biggest issue with the movie might be that despite all the unfamiliar names for words and characters, it all feels very… done before. Opening on a giant, lurking space vessel and then panning down to a planet where someone is engaged in farm work feels less like crafting a homage to George Lucas (who, let’s not forget, borrowed liberally to create his own space opera) and more like cribbing from his homework. And not just Lucas –– there are elements that you’ll recognize from the likes of ‘Serenity’, ‘Blade Runner’, ‘Terminator’ and many, many more.
Yet with its own mythology to build and some compelling sequences, ‘Rebel Moon’ does find the confidence to stand on its own, even if what remains is not as memorable as some of the classics it is referencing.
Snyder, who has been letting this one cook in the back of his head for years, finally got cracking on it with regular collaborators Shay Hatten (‘Army of the Dead’, ‘Day Shift’, ‘John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum’) and Kurt Johnstad, and they’ve whipped up a mostly entertaining romp through the stars. Using the ‘Seven Samurai’ mold of oppressed people looking to secure the services of warriors who will fight an oncoming enemy for them, they’ve built out the story of Kora in such a way that it feels like they were all considering other spin-offs and stories ahead of actually making this one tick over.
Still, in its defense, ‘Part One’ does at least tell a complete story before the inevitable cliffhanger setting up the next movie and does so in a less outwardly annoying fashion than some recent Marvel and DC entries.
The characters are decently drawn, even if none of them feel truly original –– a fighter with a troubled past, a rogue with his own agenda, a disgraced royal with some serious animal wrangling skills… they’re all versions of something that has gone before. Ditto the overarching mythology, which tells the story of a kingdom which loses its monarch and sees the power vacuum filled by a grasping, cunning Regent (played, albeit briefly so far, by Fra Fee).
Snyder as director indulges in every stylised trick for which he’s become known –– if you enjoy his ramped-up, slow-motion, quick-cut action sequences, there is plenty of it on display here, all shot in the cloudy/chome-y sepia-toned way he favors.
The movie assembles a solid cast but doesn’t always quite give them enough to do beyond basic archetypes. Sofia Boutella’s Kora is the focus in the early going, and she’s more than up to the task of playing this recognizable central figure who has some dark notes in her past.
As for the rest, they’re a mixed bag: Charlie Hunnam sports a perhaps ill-judged Irish (space-Irish?) accent as the roguish Kai, who initially helps her look for the others who will help fight back when the forces of the Motherworld (read: Empire) threaten the peaceful community she’s trying to make a new start in. Michiel Huisman has some charm as the naïve farmer who is in over his head, while mostly everyone else gets their action-packed introduction or moment to shine later when the baddies led by Ed Skrein’s Admiral finally track them down.
For both good and ill, ‘Rebel Moon’ is Zack Snyder on full blast. If this one leaves you craving more, don’t forget that Part Two, subtitled ‘The Scargiver’, will be on Netflix on April 19th.
While the writer/director is in genre magpie mode, borrowing a little from other (often better) movies and stories, the whole doesn’t completely equal the sum of its parts. It’s at least a visually interesting, rousing sci-fi adventure.
‘Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire’ receives 7 out of 10 stars.
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What’s the story of ‘Rebel Moon?
After crash landing on a moon in the furthest reaches of the universe, Kora (Sofia Boutella), a stranger with a mysterious past, begins a new life among a peaceful settlement of farmers. But she soon becomes their only hope for survival when the tyrannical Regent Balisarius (Fra Fee) and his cruel emissary, Admiral Noble (Ed Skrein), discover the farmers have unwittingly sold their crops to the Bloodaxes (Cleopatra Coleman and Ray Fisher) — leaders of a fierce group of insurgents hunted by the Motherworld.
Tasked with finding fighters who would risk their lives to defend the people of Veldt, Kora and Gunnar (Michiel Huisman), a tenderhearted farmer naive in the realities of war, journey to different worlds in search of the Bloodaxes, and assemble a small band of warriors who share a common need for redemption along the way: Kai (Charlie Hunnam), a pilot and gun for hire; General Titus (Djimon Hounsou), a legendary commander; Nemesis (Doona Bae), a master swordswoman; Tarak (Staz Nair), a captive with a regal past; and Milius (E. Duffy), a resistance fighter. Back on Veldt, Jimmy (voiced by Anthony Hopkins), an ancient, mechanized protector hiding in the wings, awakens with a new purpose.
But the newly formed revolutionaries must learn to trust each other and fight as one before the armies of the Motherworld come to destroy them all…
