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Zack Snyder Reveals Watchmen Details - CGI Choices and More!

February 11, 2007
by Alex Billington

WatchmenFans of Watchmen unite - the project is finally moving along positively! Director Zack Snyder, who's currently out promoting his Spartan epic 300, answered some questions to press about the comic book adaptation.

Zack started off by saying, "I feel like the movie is in a pretty cool place. I think the script is starting to become pretty cool." He also added that "we're trying to get a budget together now" and "I've been drawing away, you know. I think it's coming along, so they say." Zack also discussed the movie's setting and CGI choices.

Although he wouldn't reveal anything about the actors or who they might be, he did say that, "it's cool because in some ways you can get real actors, you don't have to go 'Hollywood.' " And also about when production may start, stating "they have talked about maybe shooting in the summer" - which was also confirmed as a possibility at a later press conference by his wife, Deborah Snyder, who is an executive producer on both 300 and Watchmen.

Zack also says he's setting his film in 1985 and comments:

"There has been a push on I think everybody's… on the other scripts that exist about trying to update the movie or make it take place in present day, or things of that nature. I think that by setting the movie in '85, by having the Cold War, having Nixon, having all that stuff you reinvigorate what the story is about. It allows all the metaphors…"

"I think what Alan Moore has, in his book, the comic he's made about authority and government and all those things, they're big themes. Maybe if you make that movie right, [then] what that has to say makes people think about what's happening maybe now or in their own lives. That's my hope for what the movie can be."

And finally, he discusses just how much CGI he may use:

Rorschach"The idea of Watchmen is not to do a CGI movie, but to do it when it's necessary. Like when Doc Manhattan goes to Mars, there's an issue here, we've got to figure that out. We can't go to Mars, I know, a lot people are going to be disappointed by that - but I just don't have the money. Antarctica also, there's no Carnac built there. I know, again, we should probably build it and then go film it there, but I don't think they're going let us do that. So those two things right off the bat you can think about. Dr. Manhattan himself, what do you do, how do you make him - how do you render him. Rorschach's mask. There's things that have to be dealt with and figured out. But I think that the appetite for me is to make a movie that feel's more like Taxi Driver than like Fantastic Four, again. So it's a balance."

Zack also says, "go see 300!" as the best way to help Watchmen (maybe even get a bigger budget) and includes that the studio doesn't "understand why it's not Fantastic Four. I have to remind them, I go, 'look, it's much more Strangelove than Fantastic Four,' which they don't like hearing." So if you are a fan of Watchmen, go see 300, and stay tuned for what sounds like an incredible project that may be starting very soon.

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Reader Feedback - 19 Comments »

1

[…] First Showing has a great post about comments from the prospective director, Zach Snyder, about how much CGI will be used and than the movie will be set in 1985. […]

arghyle » Blog Archive » Watchmen Movie on the Way on Feb 11, 2007

2

This is starting to sound very cool. I hope they get it right. Zack could really do this justice.

Dek P on Feb 12, 2007

3

[…] (Via First Showing by way of Filmstalker) […]

Savage Popcorn » More on Watchmen from Zack Snyder on Feb 12, 2007

4

I really like the way Zach Snyder is handling this project. Terry Gilliam may very well have been right when he said that The Watchmen could only be made correctly as a miniseries, but Snyder really seems to want to give this the best chance possible to succeed. Staying as true as possible to the source material is really a step in the right direction. Obviously, we can't say too much until the script is out and we start seeing production photos, but it this is certainly good and welcome news.

FS Dave on Feb 12, 2007

5

Great news !!!

emperend on Feb 12, 2007

6

For those who want to see a different take on Watchmen, you might want to scoot over to an article on Watchmen fan films that we ran last week at fancinematoday. It also talks a bit about Snyder's involvement in the real movie and the history of development hell that it has gone through to date.

Clive on Feb 13, 2007

7

The fact that the studio thinks of this as "Fantastic 4" is terrifying.
Do the studio people watch the movies they make?
Suits are suits… can't they just sign the checks?

Andre on Feb 13, 2007

8

Unfortunately they only want to sign checks for glitchy movies like Fantastic Four that will supposedly make them lots of money at the B.O. - not at all about how good it is or how good it looks or any of that "good" stuff.

Alex Billington on Feb 13, 2007

9

[…] …But the fate of the superhero genre depends on 300 being a commercial success. 300 is directed by Zack Snyder, who is currently attached to direct WATCHMEN - one of the greatest graphic novels ever written. In recent interviews, Snyder has said that his artistic license and WATCHMEN’s budget depend on 300’s box office. […]

OgMog: beta » Fans of Watchmen Must Watch 300 on Feb 14, 2007

10

Please Mr Snyder - cast DOUG HUTCHISON as RORSCHACH in your WATCHMEN movie!

Concrete Block 15 on Feb 18, 2007

11

[…] Lange wurde spekuliert. Jetzt ist es raus. Nach Frank Millers “300″, das bald auch in unsere Kinos kommt und eine wahre Gewalt-Orgie sein soll, wird Regisseur Zack Snyder nun auch Alan Moores Kult-Comic “Watchmen” verfilmen. Mehr dazu hier. […]

Plogging » Watchmen wird verfilmt on Feb 22, 2007

12

more to the point, will we see dr. manhattan's willy?

alex on Feb 22, 2007

13

[…] “But I think that the appetite for me is to make a movie that feel’s more like Taxi Driver than like Fantastic Four, again. So it’s a balance.” [via MetaFilter] […]

Jackson Fish Market on Feb 23, 2007

14

[…] Zack Snyder Reveals Watchmen Details – CGI Choices and More! « FirstShowing.net […]

ArtLung Blog » Daily Links on Feb 24, 2007

15

[…] Guys, to give you an idea of how big Watchmen is, it was in Time's 2005 list of "the 100 best English-language novels from 1923 to the present." It won a Hugo award, an Eisner award, and a Kirby award. Trust me, if this film is screwed up, there will be a lot of pissed off geeks and fans. This is big news. I'm pumped for this and can't wait to see how it turns out. What about you? […]

Snyder to make Watchmen movie - Volconvo Debate Forums on Mar 25, 2007

16

all I want to say is: Rorschach = Tim Roth / Sean Pen.

Uros Obradovic on May 21, 2007

17

Tim Roth would be a good ide, not penn though…he's too much of n asshole. Kevin spcy would be good..I can imagine his voice as Rorschach (Think Se7en)

charlfoo on Jun 1, 2007

18

Hi guys,

I was looking through some websites and found some videos and pictures of the movie being made in British Columbia Canada. The videos seem pretty intresting, anyways just wanted to mention it, here are the links:

http://hninsider.com/node/54
http://hninsider.com/node/63
http://hninsider.com/node/62


Thanks.

jimlangley on Nov 6, 2007

19

If you haven't seen yet, Maxim.com did a cool comparison of the movie stills and their illustrated counterparts.

http://www.maximonline.com/Entertainment/Thenixonposter/slideshow/10132/585.aspx?src=tstwc:Mtd

Rido on Nov 30, 2007

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