Zack Snyder is probably one of the busiest and most ambitious filmmakers around. After exploding into the mainstream thanks to the success of 300 and following that with the uber-ambitious comic book adaptation of Watchmen, Snyder is one of those directors that you want to know more about. With his first all-CG film, Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole, releasing later this year and looking spectacular, many have speculated about what future projects the talent Snyder might have in store. Well, thanks to some reporting from the San Diego Comic Con, we not only have a glimpse of his new project Sucker Punch but also some juicy rumors about possible involvment in a Frank Miller written 300-esque prequel (though not quite a prequel) Xerxes.
First up we’ll take a quick look at the post-apocalyptic sexy girls fighting with robots action flick Sucker Punch which looks like a cross between Tank Girl and Sin City. The film stars an assortment of young actresses including Abbie Cornish, Jena Malone, Emily Browning, Vanessa Hudgens and Jamie Chung. The plot revolves around the story of a young girl (Browning), who is institutionalized by her wicked stepfather, retreats to an alternative reality as a coping strategy and envisions a plan which will help her escape from the facility. There’s a teaser site already up that has a pretty cool animated panorama of a scene from the film but doesn’t reveal too much else. In addition to the cast and title, we also have five tantiliazing posters for the film that showcase each of the girls. Sucker Punch is set to be released in March 2011 and footage should be revealed tomorrow at Comic-Con.
But what about after that? What is Snyder planning for his next project? According to Hero Complex, Snyder is eyeing returning to the ancient battelfields of the Persian war. Snyder has his sights set to make the adaptation of Frank Miller’s latest novel that he’s been currently working on, titled Xerxes:
“This movie follows Themistocles and the Battle of Artemisium, which coincidentally happens on the exact same three days as the Battle of Thermopylae [which was the basis of ‘300’],” Snyder said. “This one starts off with a quick retelling of the why of the Persian wars. It starts off at the Battle of Marathon and then it goes back to Themistocles finding out that Persians are invading again. and off we go over to learn a little bit about why Xerxes is the way he is.” [Hero Complex]
There is also a rumor that Gerard Butler might reprise his role from 300 as a special cameo in this new film. So with such a diverse palette in the films coming from Snyder’s mind, the question remains, what’s left for him to do?
Which Zack Snyder film are you most excited for?