Zack Snyder on what’s special about Matthias Schweighöfer, his big Netflix plans and the future of DC

Zack Snyder shoots action like no other director. His films are loud, stylish and visually stunning. 300 is still the quintessential film that looks like a damn cool video game to this day. He shot with Watchmen and Man of Steel landmark superhero films, which eventually culminated in Justice League’s legendary Snyder cut. In the meantime, the 57-year-old has ended up on Netflix, where he is building his own zombie universe around Army of the Dead.

Coming to Netflix on December 22, 2023 Zack Snyder’s new sci-fi blockbuster Rebel Moon. Snyder then presented the first trailer for the sci-fi epic himself at Gamescom 2023 in Cologne and was received with roaring applause. We took the opportunity to meet him and his wife as well as longtime producer Deborah Snyder for an interview. He told us a lot about his relationship with Matthias Schweighöfer, his opinion on the change in the DC Universe under James Gunn and his Plans for a new Snyder cut betrayed.

Check out the epic Rebel Moon trailer here:

Moviepilot: Originally, Rebel Moon was supposed to be a Star Wars movie. But your pitch was rejected. How much Star Wars did you have to cut to get to the final version for Netflix?

Zack Snyder: Disney has its own vision of what’s great and important. that they do their thing. I hadn’t written a script, it was always just an idea. It wasn’t until I started talking about Rebel Moon as a series that I then wrote down the different worlds for the first time, made some preliminary drawings and a few drafts.

That was the point where it was no longer in the Star Wars universe. I had created a much larger universe where each episode was centered around a different person from different planets. Once I realized this was going to be a movie, those worlds could become a lot more mythological because I knew everything about each of those worlds. At that point, they had developed such a strong life of their own that it was pretty far removed from Star Wars.

From DC to Rebel Moon, Zack Snyder creates one cinematic universe after another

What excites you so much about franchises or entire film universes compared to films that stand on their own?

I don’t do this on purpose. When you start working on an idea, you quickly lose yourself in it – especially in a world like this that’s so mythologically massive. Then making a bigger story out of it is an easy trap to fall into. And I mean that in the best sense.

What I love about the Army of the Dead universe is that it pushes boundaries, even if it is quite expensive. I think it’s hilarious to expand on it like that. The sequel to Army of the Dead would be called Planet of the Army of the Dead and a third film would then be called Return to the Planet of the Dead. Maybe I’ll do that next.

So this isn’t as methodical as you might think. We don’t think: “We really want to build something big in the world and start franchises.” It’s just so much fun making these films and then that fun leads to more fun and we end up doing two or three.

While making franchise movies like this, do you feel more pressure or just focus on what’s in front of you?

I honestly felt a lot more pressure with the DC movies than with our own stuff. With them I know that there is no one who can really be disappointed. It’s rather the opposite of that. You show the audience something new. There is no: “Batman can’t do that, that’s crazy.”

Instead, I take the audience on a journey of discovering everything along the way. What the characters can do or have done, what could happen to them in the future and everything can be a surprise.

Army of the Dead colleague Matthias Schweighöfer has a special way of making films

For Army of the Dead you worked with Matthias Schweighöfer, who now describes you as a good friend. How is your relationship at the moment? Will you work together again in the future?

Matthias is part of the family, we talk to him all the time. We have many other ideaseven outside of Army of the Dead, that we develop together. So we look forward to further projects with Matthias. We love him. He’s taking care of our house while we’re here… No, he doesn’t, but he could have! He takes care of the dogs, he feeds the dogs… [lacht]

Matthias also directed his own spin-off Army of Thieves for Netflix, which you helped produce. Did you notice any typically German way of filmmaking that differs from yours or the American way of filmmaking?

I’m not sure, other than saying that Matthias is a very special person and has a very special point of view. A sense of humor and warmth in a really natural way, like he doesn’t bother trying to combine those two things. He succeeds seamlessly and I think his perspective makes his films really genuine and fun to watch. He’s funnier than us! He has so much energy and positivity, we just love him!

Zack Snyder is still a DC fan – but is planning the director’s cut of a completely different cult film

Your Justice League cut of Snyder has now become a pop culture meme and is often used as a joke about particularly passionate fan groups. I don’t know if you’ve watched Barbie, which also has a Snyder cut gag. What do you think about it?

I like that the Snyder cut or the way of talking about it is almost more than a cult thing. They say something is a cult classic, though if we say Snyder Cut, it’s more than just a cult film. It’s like a different genre of cinema and I find it really funny. The truth is that the fans have been incredibly there for us and achieved incredible things. Just the fact that we made it at all! So it’s suitable for me.

The DC Universe that you were a big part of is coming to an end and James Gunn and Peter Safran are about to embark on their new DC vision. are you still following this

I’m interested in this because, like everyone else, I’m a fan of the characters. So if a Batman or Superman movie comes out, I would watch it because I love the characters. But when it comes to the further course of the universe, I have no major interest in it.

You recently talked about releasing a director’s cut of Sucker Punch with a new ending. What can you tell me about the current status?

We were always in conversations and I constantly check the rights. The reason I didn’t do the director’s cut is that the film is sold in different territories. If I create a director’s cut, it would devalue the versions sold. So we’re waiting for some of the rights for a certain territory to expire so we can come back and I can make a new version.

Additionally, we’ve been pretty busy working on Rebel Moon and Army [of the Dead]. But I really want to do it.

More sci-fi in the podcast: Is Ahsoka bringing back the old Star Wars feel?

With Ahsoka, the 5th live-action series from the Star Wars universe brings us back to a galaxy far, far away. The promising start convinces with a lot of Star Wars nostalgia. You can currently stream the series on Disney+.

Fifteen years after her debut in The Clone Wars, Star Wars fan favorite Ahsoka Tano is getting her first series, which doubles as a continuation of the animated series Rebels. Is the galactic adventure starring Rosario Dawson a success? We took a closer look at this in the series check of the first 2 episodes.

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