There are two stories out today that warrant your attention.
Firstly: According to the Hollywood Reporter’s HeatVision Blog, Zack Snyder has been selected to direct the next Superman film. His contract negotiations began today. I think one of Snyder’s failings is in his scripts, but if the Nolan brothers can hand him an exceedingly tight and perfect script, he’ll be able to knock a Superman movie out of the park.
Perhaps the most interesting part of the article involved a big name we hadn’t even heard about:
The job was so coveted that even Robert Zemeckis, retired to the world of performance capture, considered returning to live-action filmmaking in order to nab the gig.
Though Robert Zemeckis hasn’t been making the best movies as of late, he’s still the mastermind behind two of the best movies ever made: Back to the Future and Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, which I watched last night and is probably one of the most finely crafted post-noir era noir films ever made.
The next big piece of news from the piece is that David Goyer is helping with the script and a villain has been chosen: General Zod.
I think Zack Snyder can do a capable job with the right script and this might be his best film. And here’s hoping they keep Brandon Routh in the role. I had the chance of doing the press line for Scott Pilgrim at Comic-Con and that guy walks into the room and you can see he’s just Superman.
And where does all this leave Darren Aronofsky, who’s name was on the list for Superman? Though I was pulling for him to get the Superman gig, Newsarama is reporting that he’s the front runner to helm Columbia Pictures’ film adaptation of Preacher since Sam Mendes departed the project earlier in the year. I’d also like to throw out there that I’d murder to read John August’s draft of the screenplay. If anyone can make that happen, I’d sincerely appreciate it. (And if you’re interested in screenwriting and not reading John August’s website, you’re behind the curve.)
You can read Newsarama’s full article about that tidbit here, but I think it’s a perfect match. Aronofsky’s name has been tied to negotiations with a LOT of superhero movies (including what would have been a brilliant Dark Knight Returns film) but he’s never been able to make it happen. I’ve seen him at Comic-Con and he certainly has the love of the form that’s required. Only time will tell if he’ll really get his shot.