You know, after I met Gerry, honestly I stopped looking.
Now, you’ve talked about your years spent making commercials and how much traveling you were able to do. How do you think that prepared you to make the jump into feature films?
You know, I still make commercials. I just made a Gatorade commercial a few weeks ago in Buenos Aires. I’ve been shooting commercials for, you know, 15 years. Three a frickin’ month in the old days. But I think the way it prepared me is, you know, in commercials every single job is a production problem. It’s a hundred and eighty degrees different from the problem that you just faced the week before. So when we did 300, it was the same problem over and over. You know, like how the fuck do you make this landscape look real? And how do you make this fuckin’ cool? With a commercial every single day is different, and every project and every shot is different. And in that way, I think its awesome training ground for a director to hone his skills with problem solving. Because that is your job as a director, you know, to solve problems. To figure them out. Anyway, that’s the way I do it.
Wow, you seem like a busy guy. Do you thrive off of doing that, moving from project to project?
You know, I do I guess. I hate to sit still and I hate not to have something to work on. It’s hard for me not to. That way, you know commercials certainly keep me busy and feature films haven’t disappointed me either. Let me tell ya, they’re pretty hardcore.
Yeah, definitely. Now I guess I would be letting down the fanboy sections of our readers if I didn’t ask about Watchmen. So what’s the latest update there?
Yeah, you know Watchmen is definitely the number one thing on my radar right now. I don’t have anything else that I am even honestly vaguely interested in, and working on other than Watchmen. I said to the studio, “Listen, this is the coolest fuckin’ thing there is and if we don’t do this right then…” Whenever they ask me to change it I say, you know what, never mind. And they’re like “Okay, okay, okay…”
It’s just one of those things that I feel really passionate about and I want to make sure it's as good as it could possibly be. So we’re working on it, you know. We’ve been talking about shooting in the summer. Hopefully soon I’ll be able to tell you about some actors. I’ve been talking to a bunch of actors and soon we’ll be able to say who they are.
Article comments
1 - Kaonashi
This film looks all sorts of bad ass. It's also the most beautiful film I've ever seen (at least, looking at the trailers). I can't wait for March 9!
2 - El Bicho
good interview; thanks for the mention.
3 - Concrete Block 15
DOUG HUTCHISON *IS* RORSCHACH!
People must be told. Never compromise.
4 - Mike
The film got a Standing Ovation at the sold out World Premiere at the Berlin Film Fest. 1700 seat house with lots of cheers and applause during the film. Cool, huh?
5 - Camran
Xerxes- Persian Xashayar Shah- was one of the greatest Shah of Iran-where Greeks would translate Persia. He was Shah (king) of many countries include Egypt and Babylon and today's Turkey. In Ezra you can read more about him. He had a Jew wife; Esther. Later he was killed by his prime minster (Vazir). I don't think his defeat means that he was a savage person. Rodrigo who carries Egyptian jewellery on himself has not any similarity with Xashayar (Xerxes)even; the kings of Iran would never stand naked!! Check his picture
In the last 1400 years Iran suffered religious pressure from outside and then inside! Now by forging history in the shape of Alexander or 300 you're just adding to our bad fortune. We know our history Mr. Snyder and had been long the only competitors in science and technology with Greeks and later Romans.I would kindly suggest you to look at history and do not prejudice and do not put your political hate into your work. You better leave the historical feeling of Greeks and Persians for themselves.
Regards, Camran
6 - Jim Patterson
300 was probabely the greatest distortion of the known history. I had no idea that in our day and age where people can read about the historical facts easily from their computers someone would even attempt to make a movie like this. He could at least be a little bit more realistic. Originality and reality aside, i guess the movie was a good entertainment for teenagers.
7 - Rizvi
Great Movie with an Evil motive.
It’s all about the number... the entire Europe & America is sensitive towards the 6 million numbers and the Holocaust. No-one is allowed to disagree with it but the same sensitive civilization has given full freedom to Zack Snyder to distort the history to suite his plot.
Rambo was prelude to the attack on Afghanistan... 300 is the plot to justify the future attack on Iran.
8 - Rizvi
Great Movie with an Evil motive.
It’s all about the number... the entire Europe & America is sensitive towards the 6 million numbers and the Holocaust. No-one is allowed to disagree with it but the same sensitive civilization has given full freedom to Zack Snyder to distort the history to suite his plot.
Rambo was prelude to the attack on Afghanistan... 300 is the plot to justify the future attack on Iran.
9 - Sepideh
Well..By the look of it, sorry but it is complete rubish..
Thanx for all the effor to make this movie..but why didn't u put this effort to make movie which contains reality rather than a bunch of rubbish...
Persians have had slaves from greece to build their cities ...So how can they loss to 300!!!....
OPEN YOUR EYES AND LOOK AT THE REALITY!!!
10 - Cedsnyder
Dear Foreign Friends, This is a movie to be enjoyed & obviously a lot of people did!!!!...$700M gross on a $63M operating budget..Get it?...I honestly believe you would have invested in it if you knew the Financial outcome!!!! There was nothing immoral or subversive in this movie at all!! No one came out hating the Persians or the Spartans!..It was just an enjoyable,excellent film.....Best, Ed