If you’re like most of Vulture readers, you don’t need us to tell you that Xerxes the Great was the fourth Zoroastrian king of the Achamenid Empire. Du-uh. But what you do need your Vulture editors to tell you is that Warner Bros. has offered Xerxes — the sequel to Zach Snyder’s epic 300 — to none other than Sherlock Holmes director Guy Ritchie.
Like 300 before it, Xerxes is based on one of Frank Miller’s graphic novels and had been developed by Snyder, who'd planned to direct his own script. So what gives?
One theory is that Warner Bros. needs Snyder to bear down on Superman stat: Insiders say the closely-guarded script for Superman suffers from major third-act problems, and the studio faces a ticking clock on that franchise, legally speaking; if a Superman film isn’t in production by 2013, Warner Bros. loses the rights to the entire Superman franchise and would have to re-license it from its original creators — the estates of Detective Comics writers Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster — at great if not prohibitive expense.
But there’s another theory: At a recent Warner Bros.—conducted audience research screening of Snyder’s Sucker Punch, the film tested poorly. Says one insider familiar with it, “It was bad; like, really bad. They’re [Warners brass] really not happy with it over there.”
That, plus with Snyder’s last two films (Watchmen and Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole) having under-performed, some insiders posit that offering Ritchie Xerxes means that Warner’s ardor for all things Snyder may be cooling just a bit.
Regardless, we’re pleased that Xerxes (a.k.a. King Ahasuerus) is heating up — and just in time for Purim! We have only one question: Cherry or apricot hamantashen, Guy?
Could the walls be coming down around him? Could the curse be striking again? Personally I have nothing against Snyder other then he's wrong for this movie, and his movies have never exactly made me a fan of his so I would actually like for the WB to stop this movie from getting made, and get back to the drawing board, and think hard about what they are doing with Superman.
This movie is a major epic fail waiting to happen... I don't doubt Sucker Punch sucked, and if that movie tanks then I do hope the WB calls off this movie, and get someone else in there who would hire the right actors, and get a good script going.
I don't understand this site at all...you haven't even seen the movie yet, it could be the best Superman ever made.
ReplyDeleteIt won't be. Snyder is a terrible director, and Henry Cavill doesn't look the part.
ReplyDeleteOh, and he's a british born actor who might be gay! WTF? Sorry I don't want my kids watching that movie, and thinking that's Superman.
We need a real American born actor who's heterosexual, and looks the part, and can act.
Not a British import who's too short, and skinny for the role.
I called it when Bryan Singer was making Superman Returns, and I'm calling it again! This movie is wrong! Just all wrong.
I am the same person who had a conversation online with Dan Harris when he was scripting the movie, and after I heard the details of the movie I told him how bad it would be, and I was laughed at... I tore him apart on the suit, and how badly of an Actor Brandon was, and again I was laughed at by him.
Who's laughing now? The movie sucked as bad as I said the suit was as bad as I said, and Brandon's acting was as terrible as I said it was.
Now I'm calling it again, and I know a lot of the inside with this production, and it wouldn't shock me if this movie ends up in production hell.
The WB aren't too happy with this mess Snyder is making of the Superman movie.
Sucker Punch bombing will be what gets him fired.
I'm not psychic I just know Superman very well as a character see I've been a die hard fan for 27 years, and well I'm very disappointed as a fan.