Zack Snyder

Zack Snyder is a relative newcomer to the world of filmmaking, having made a name for himself in the world of commercial production.

Zack Snyder Filmography

To date, Snyder's film credit list is short but powerful. His debut film was the remake of Dawn of the Dead in 2004, a successful if not blockbuster film that grossed over $120,000,000 worldwide on a budget of just $25,000,000. Snyder famously selected all of the music appearing in the film, which is proof of his excellent taste in music. The film featured songs like "The Man Comes Around" by Johnny Cash, the classic "People Who Died" from the Jim Carrol Band, and the ironic inclusion of "All Out of Love" by the ubiquitous band Air Supply. Snyder is quirky and cool, as evidenced by the music in the film as well as some interesting directorial decisions. Zombies missing limbs in the film were played by extras who are actual amputees -- lending a sense of realism as well as a grotesque kind of anti humor. The critical reception was generally positive, and critics felt the film delivered "what you would expect", although compared to George Romero's original, this remake was seen as being a bit too flat in terms of plot, and perhaps unoriginal. Still, it was successful in America and abroad, and Snyder's career continues to take off.

Zack Snyder

Zack Snyder and Frank Miller's 300

Snyder was an odd pick for Frank Miller's 300 -- a difficult and massive film undertaking for a director with just one film under his belt. 300 was a massive success -- its opening weekend was in the top 25 openings of all time, and the film took in well over $450,000,000 dollars worldwide. Critics responded well to what has been described as a 'visually arresting' film, though fans are generally disappointed by the film's ending and what is seen as "homoerotic" undertones. Warner Brothers defends the film as a "work of fiction" loosely based on historical events, and the popularity of the film stands on its own. Snyder's 300 can be considered a success.

Zack Snyder's Early Career

Snyder started his career making commercials for products like Audi, BMW, Reebok, and Gatorade. His commercial work earned awards, such as his two Clio awards for his work on Jeep commercials. It is rare for a succesful commercial director to make it big in Hollywood, and Snyder has done just that. His film Watchmen is based on the comic book series of the same name, and Snyder built the storyboards for the film using images from the original comic book. Unlike 300, this new film used more traditional shooting, opting out of the famous "chroma key" sets developed for 300. Snyder has suggested in interviews that he was interested in making a more traditional film, using real sets and less graphic effects. The film is set for release on March 6, 2009. Snyder Bob Dylan's "Desolation Row" as covered by the popular band My Chemical Romance.

Snyder has somewhat humble roots. Born in 1966 in blue collar Green Bay, Wisconsin to a stay at home mom and an executive recruiter, Snyder immersed himself both in graphic art and filmmaking, even attending a high school for the fine arts in England. He attended the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California, where his classmates included future blockbuster filmmaker Michael Bay. Snyder is married and has one child, a boy who has cameo appearances in both 300 and Watchmen.

Zack Snyder's Current Project

Snyder's current project just got underway -- he is directing the film Guardians of Ga'Hoole, an animated feature based on a series of children's fantasy books by the author Kathryn Lasky. The film is set to be released in the summer of 2010, though these dates tend to change often during production. Many are excited to see what Snyder can do with a fully animated feature, considering the impact that graphics and animation had on his 300 production. The film is being made in Australia with a revised screenplay by John Orloff, best known for his work on Band of Brothers and the new Tom Hanks film Starbucks Saved My Life. The screenplay is based on the first three books of the Guardians of Ga'Hoole series, The Capture, The Journey, and The Rescue, and not the entire book series as previously reported on fan pages -- this would be difficult, as the Guardians series spans a massive 15 books and counting. Perhaps the producers are hoping to cash in on the popularity of children's fantasy -- think Harry Potter -- and also the recent popularity of fantasy like The Lord of the Rings and other films. Most of the characters in Guardians are owls on various quests to perform noble deeds. From the sound of it, this series should be popular with both kids and adults, although the emphasis on animal characters may be a bit too old school Disney for contemporary audiences.

Snyder has been interviewed all over the place about the upcoming film Watchmen. His responses give us some idea of what the film will be like, and most audiences are incredibly excited. For instance, Snyder talks often about making the props and sets realistic for the time period of the comic book. In one interview, Snyder mentions being shown different hairspray cans (for a pivotal scene in which a character sets cops on fire with hairspray) and rejecting all of them for being untrue to the comic book. Hopefully, this means Snyder is attempting to stay true to the spirit of the original book, and not taking it in his own direction as Frank Miller was criticized for doing with Spirit. Audiences do pay attention to details like cans of hairspray and specific costumes. Also of interest is the length of the project -- Snyder mentions the script being around 140 pages long, and using the old "page a minute" formula, this makes for a movie of enough length to do the original book justice.

Hopefully, Zack Snyder has a long career ahead of him. He has pleased both horror movie and comic book fans, and at a young age has made a name for himself in Hollywood -- a notoriously difficult market. Depending on the success of Guardians, Snyder may be a name we know for years to come.