The 'Watchmen' director explains that he's servicing the material rather than fans when it comes to picking the right actors to play the characters in the Superman vs. Batman movie.
- Mar 4, 2014
AceShowbiz - Zack Snyder addresses controversies surrounding the unconventional casting of "Man of Steel 2". Ben Affleck was tapped as the caped crusader to mixed reactions, and then Gal Gadot was picked to play Wonder Woman. The uproar got louder when Jesse Eisenberg was later chosen to portray Lex Luthor.
"We know the material; unfortunately, the fans don't know the material," the director explains to Hero Complex. "So, we're casting according to what's happening in the script. And we're hoping that leads to enough originality, enough perspective on what we're doing that you get something fresh and exciting."
He continues, "I understand the canon. I'm not crazy. I know what these characters need from a mythological standpoint. I think Jesse is going to be an amazing Lex. Let's not forget he was nominated for an Academy Award. It's not like I just grabbed my friend to play the guy! This guy's the real deal."
"By the way, in looking at all the talk-back, you can get all different perspectives in there too. Some people are hating to hate. Some people - someone did some fan art. And you look underneath and someone wrote, 'I guess I can see it.' Honestly, are you kidding me? Just stop it! It's reassuring and frustrating at the same time."
Of what to expect in the sequel, he says, "[The movie] literally takes the Man of Steel and Batman universes and explodes them. You're not as tied to the mythology. In 'Man of Steel', we had to create an origin story, a mythology, and there's a lot of energy into that, which we love doing. Don't get me wrong. But when you think about how fun it is too - now that you've got these characters - to now let 'em loose. That's fun!"
The second "Man of Steel" is due May 6, 2016. Henry Cavill is back reprising his role as Superman. "We're getting ready to start shooting in a month or so," Snyder reveals. "We were just testing the suits, right? The new Batsuit and the Superman suit."
In a separate interview with The Huffington Post, Snyder fired back at producer Joel Silver who slammed his adaptation of "Watchmen". Silver, who originally attempted to bring the superhero material to the big screen with director Terry Gilliam, called Snyder "too much of a slave to the material" and insisted that his version with Gilliam was "a MUCH much better movie."
In response, Synder said, "Yeah, the fans would have stormed the castle on that one. So, honestly, I made 'Watchmen' for myself. It's probably my favorite movie that I've made. And I love the graphic novel and I really love everything about the movie. I love the style. I just love the movie and it was a labor of love. And I made it because I knew that the studio would have made the movie anyway and they would have made it crazy. So, finally I made it to save it from the Terry Gilliams of this world."
