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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.

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By EdGross - 3/3/2011
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.”
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Dmon - 3/3/2011, 8:19 AM
Awesome Ed. I think this movie has the potential to be the best CBM ever.
DavidPalmer - 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
RorMachine - 3/3/2011, 8:23 AM
Nice one Ed. I didn't realize you wrote for Sci Fi Now? Love that mag!
EdGross - 3/3/2011, 8:24 AM
Hey, RorMachine, I'm in pretty much every issue.
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 - 3/3/2011, 8:25 AM
Great Article man!
dfresh - 3/3/2011, 8:25 AM
Ed Gross is blowin' up!
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 - 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 - 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 - 3/3/2011, 8:36 AM
Thanks Ed. Another great interview. Can't wait to read the full version.
LEEE777 - 3/3/2011, 8:45 AM
AWESOME interview @ ED!!!



Heyyyyy, u could've talked about DOOMSDAY tho!

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

And, Teabag, WAY too much information.
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 - 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 - 3/3/2011, 9:03 AM
Could this top The Dark Knight Rises as the top grossing movie of 2012?
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 - 3/3/2011, 9:05 AM
I'm all for this movie surpassing TDK
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 - 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 - 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 - 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 - 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 - 3/3/2011, 9:19 AM
CHRIS NOLAN / ZACK SNYDER/ GOYER...etc im very confident in saying this will be an awesome cbm!
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 - 3/3/2011, 9:40 AM
As long as it's based on Birthright!
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 - 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 - 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.
ClaireLannister2016 - 3/3/2011, 10:01 AM
Nolan+Snyder+Superman+Henry cavill= match made in heaven

;)
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 - 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
xXkryptoniteXx - 3/3/2011, 10:09 AM
Can't wait for this flick and his take
Twenty23Three - 3/3/2011, 10:24 AM
Superman = the king daddy, well said Mr Snyder well said.
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 - 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 - 3/3/2011, 10:54 AM
@Shaman- True...I just hope they put some god damn action in this film =P
SkaarJones - 3/3/2011, 11:30 AM
I am looking forward to this reboot. I hope he has Superman kicking the living shit out of some unstoppable, incredibly powerful super villain and showing him in beast mode!
Shaman - 3/3/2011, 11:31 AM
LP4- Yeah, that's definitely a given ;)
superotherside - 3/3/2011, 11:31 AM
awesome! SUPER cool stuff @ED! ;)
LP4 - 3/3/2011, 11:46 AM
A Snyder-Superman better fight someone. I wanna see him use all of his amazing powers, I wanna see him punch, kick and smash. I mean Superman is one of the most powerful superheroes out there and STILL he has YET to fight anyone. I'm excited- THIS WILL BE THE FILM WHERE HE FINALLY PUNCHES SOMETHING!!!!

Even Geoff Johns said in an interview months ago "I don't know if you can ask for much more than Chris Nolan and Zack Snyder. We're really lucky to have them on board. I'm psyched. [Superman will] be punching something."

Grant Morrison has stated that he wants to see Superman fight. Even Zack Snyder has said he believes now is the time for Superman to be "physical"

THIS is it. This is the last chance I'm giving Superman and WB to prove all the haters wrong and give Superman the chance to FINALLY FU*KING FIGHT!!!!

I can't wait to see him lay down that first punch, then follow up with a few more smacks to the face of his opponent then tossing him through a few buildings ;D the scale of the battle could be epic knowing Superman when he fights it could be large-scale and could partially take place in the air. Give us some slow-mo punches Snyder-style and we're in business! ;D

And as most of the sites said themselves- "the days of emo-Superman crying over his lost love are a thing of the past"

Superman is NO wimpy punch-bag. He knows how to defend himself. Bailing all that hay on the farm for all those years can make a farmboy TOUGH ;D let's see some of that grit for a change. In all the comics and cartoons...Superman defends himself when the need should arise and he does it in a very PHYSICAL way. I want that in this film. This COULD end up becoming one of the greatest CBMs of all time...Snyder just needs to keep listening to the fans (oh and he needs to keep Donner away, I don't want Donner being involved as part of the production team. His time is over)

This film is gonna ROCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
InFamouslyCool - 3/3/2011, 12:07 PM
how in the world will they get people to care about superman...
tehdude - 3/3/2011, 12:33 PM
"I tore the curtain down — maybe I’m the right guy to put it back up.”

Didn't Whedon already mention something about doing this with the avengers? Something about how we began post modern comic book movies before we got the regular formula down? or something like that anyway. Anyway, I'm looking forward to the movie and seeing what Snyder brings to the table. Big fan of superman.

lalosuper3001 - 3/3/2011, 12:35 PM
LoganX35@ Not everyone was against him being British. Most of us were happy, some did not care either way, and only 17.67% were against it. So don't be surprised to keep hearing again and again: "I CAN'T WAIT FOR THIS MOVIE! IT'S GONNA BE AWESOME!!!!!"
steelrocks - 3/3/2011, 1:36 PM


Awesomeness... ahahha If I die before I watch this movie, I will be really pissed off upstairs.
rbfn04 - 3/3/2011, 1:49 PM
Starting to get so excited for this movie. Hoping with all my heart they get Clark/Superman right. Not like Smallville did.
Batman27 - 3/3/2011, 1:55 PM
I don't care what anyone says Supes and Bats will own 2012!!!!!
tehdude - 3/3/2011, 2:24 PM
@Batman27- ... I'm pretty sure both films have some competition that year... what with all the other big films coming out that year. But never the less, i'm pretty excited about these films as well.
Superspecialawesomeguy - 3/3/2011, 2:29 PM
@SkaarJones F*CK YEAH!!!
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