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Saturday, February 17, 2007

Timing Is Everything

Garth Franklin of Dark Horizons posted the following interview earlier this week--updating the progress of one next year's most eagerly anticipated films...At least, that is, as far as I'm concerned.

Out doing the promotional junket for "300", director Zack Snyder spoke pretty candidly about his plans for the [film version of the] "Watchmen" [graphic novels]:



Will they use the same green screen CG environment trick he used for "300" in the film?

"Well, for Watchmen, which is the thing we're working on right now, there's no reason to do it that way. There are things like 'if you go to Mars,' sure. I think my experience with 300 helps me with using technology; it helps me go, 'You know what, we should do this here. When we go to Antarctica, we can do this,' and that would be awesome." says Snyder.

He adds "There's things I do know how to do because of 300, but I think that Watchmen is more like Taxi Driver or Dr. Strangelove than it is Fantastic Four - so you have a stylistic thing like that."

Will there be stuff ready in time for this year's Comic Con in San Diego?

I don't think we're going to be shots done before Comic-con. Our plan is to shoot in the summer, but I'll go there and I'm sure I'll have something to show."

How far are they along?

"We're trying to get a budget together that is palatable to everybody; it's a long movie, and we're trying to do. And I'm trying to shoot the Black Frater part as well, and no one has ever even talked about that, it's crazy time. And whether that ends up as a DVD extra or as a special release, that's yet to be seen; but I don't know, that's my plan."

Casting?

"It's not fully cast, but I've been talking to a lot of people....I'll know soon, I think after [the] Berlin [Film Festival] when we get back from Berlin. I'll start to know who's locked in."

How does he handle the pressure?

"There's huge pressure from the fans, but at the same time, the way I gotta do it, and the way I work is I just sort of have to go and say, 'Ok, I feel like when I look at what I'm planning to do, it's cool.' So that's the only thing I can do in the end, and hopefully everyone else thinks it's good."

I loved Snyder's 2004 version of Dawn of the Dead--a fine zombie flick. 300 is itself based on another graphic novel by Frank Miller--while Watchmen is from the minds of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons. I look forward to seeing what Snyder does with both films. After all, in both cases, he's had great source material to work from.

Meanwhile, as the world awaits for the awesome looking 300 to arrive in theaters on March 9th--Todd McCarthy of Variety shares his thoughts on that film with an advanced review

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