Heat Vision has kicked the hornet’s nest and revealed news Warner Bros. has tapped studio favorite Zack Snyder to direct the upcoming untitled Superman reboot after meeting with the studio and producers Chris Nolan and Emma Thomas. Snyder is obviously a major player at the WB after breaking out with 300 in 2007, but since then Watchmen was a bit of a disappointment and his recently released animated owl movie, Legend of the Guardians failed to live up to its massive $100 million budget. Yet, with Sucker Punch on the horizon in 2011 and expectation Snyder will direct Xerxes, a sequel to 300, for the studio at some point, it seems they are keeping him on the lot for a little longer.
The decision as to who would direct the film has been talked about a lot lately with names such as Darren Aronofsky, Ben Affleck, Matt Reeves (Let Me In, Jonathan Liebesman (Clash of the Titans 2), Duncan Jones (Moon) and Tony Scott under consideration and it even got to a point rumors had Aronofsky directing with his recent Black Swan star, Natalie Portman, playing Lois Lane. Obviously, those rumors can now be forgotten.
As for now, David Goyer is writing the script, which is rumored to have, like Superman Returns, a Richard Donner Superman connection. In the movie’s case, it’s a villain connection: General Zod, which you’ll remember was played by Terence Stamp in 1980.
There is no planned release date, but in speaking with Deadline.com, Snyder confirmed that as soon as he completes post on Sucker Punch, he’ll move right into the Man of Steel. “I’ve been a big fan of the character for a long time, he’s definitely the king of all superheroes, he’s the one,” Snyder told Deadline. “It’s early yet, but I can tell you that what David and Chris have done with the story so far definitely has given me a great insight into a way to make him feel modern. I’ve always felt he was kind of awesome. I’ll finish Sucker Punch and get right at it.”
Sucker Punch hits theaters on March 25, 2011 and I can only assume this means Xerxes is likely to find itself pushed to 2013 or beyond.
Now it’s up to you, what do you think of this decision and who would you like to see play Clark Kent/Superman?
