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Zack Snyder Talks Serious 'Man of Steel' and Why He Took the Job

by Ethan Anderton
November 13, 2012
Source: Hero Complex

Ever since Watchmen and 300 director Zack Snyder was brought aboard Man of Steel by producer Christopher Nolan, fans have been wondering if it would be a more action-packed over-the-topp, slow motion frenzy that we're used to from Snyder, or if Nolan's influence would keep the film grounded, gritty and a bit dark. The two teaser trailers seemed to give us our answer (and the Comic-Con footage showed us more of that), and now Snyder has spoken out about his serious approach to Superman and why he felt like he should take the job, even after he initially resisted Nolan's offer to direct the DC Comics reboot. Read on!

Snyder almost didn't direct Man of Steel. The director explains to Hero Complex:

“It's funny, when Nolan came to me and said, 'Do you want to do Superman?' I was like 'No!' That's a difficult one. But I felt like I knew the rules. I understand the rules of Superman -- not necessarily better than anyone else -- but better than a normal filmmaker would. After doing 'Watchmen' and digging that deep into the why of superheroes, when Superman is presented to you, I felt like I was in a unique position to say 'I get this guy. I know what this is.'"

That's an interesting point he raises after directing what is basically the anti-Avengers, when the thought of the Marvel superhero ensemble was still coming together. When you look at the core of heroes and what they are under the tights or whatever uniform they wear, that's where the character lives, and that's where the story comes from in the end. And knowing that, Snyder seems to have crafted a serious approach to Superman rather than another generic superhero movie. Snyder says:

“It’s a more serious version of Superman. It’s not like a heart attack. We took the mythology seriously. We take him as a character seriously. I believe the movie would appeal to anyone. I think that you’re going to see a Superman you’ve never seen before. We approached it as though no other films had been made. He’s the king-daddy. Honestly that’s why I wanted to do it. I’m interested in Superman because he’s the father of all superheroes. He’s this amazing ambassador for all superheroes. What was it about him that cracked the code that made pop culture embrace this other mythology? What we‘ve made as a film not only examines that but is also an amazing adventure story. It’s been an honor to work on. As a comic book fan, Superman is like the Rosetta Stone of all superheroes. I wanted to be sure the movie treated it respectfully.”

I like the idea of going back to the dawn of superheroes and looking at Superman as the first piece in what would become a very large comic book puzzle. It's not just an origin story for Superman, but an origin story for all superheroes. What makes them tick? What makes them heroes? If the brief teaser didn't get you interested (we'll be honest, they're a little lackluster), hopefully the new trailer that will show up at the end of the year (likely around the time The Hobbit hits theaters) will get audiences a little more excited.

Filed under Hype, Movie News

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