Zack Snyder thinks he could've gone further with his 2011 fantasy-action film Sucker Punch.
"Sucker Punch is probably the most obvious example of straightforward, pure satire that I’ve made. And I still think I didn’t go far enough, because a lot of people thought that it was just a movie about scantily clad girls dancing around in a brothel. I’m like, 'Really? Did you see Watchmen?" Snyder explains in the new issue of Total Film, which hits shelves next week. "That film is completely a superhero deconstruction from the drop, which is all Alan Moore. That’s the thing I’ve found really interesting and motivating throughout my career. And I think that, seen as a whole, it’s more obvious than on a movie-to-movie basis."
The film stars Emily Browning as Babydoll, a young girl institutionalized by her abusive stepfather who retreats to an alternative reality and envisions an all-out battle to escape.
The cast includes Carla Gugino, Abbie Cornish, Jena Malone, Vanessa Hudgens, Jamie Chung, Oscar Isaac, and Jon Hamm. It more or less broke even at the box office, grossing $89.8 million against a budget of $82 million. The film was panned by critics at the time of release, but has since become something of a cult classic.
Snyder added: "The thing that is deceiving about my movies is that I’m always trying to give the audience the movie they think they want to see, but also give them the subverted version of it at the exact same time. That notion has always been really cool and fascinating: that as filmmakers, we’re trying to sneak in the subversive thing without breaking the illusion. That’s the trick."
Snyder's next project is the highly anticipated Rebel Moon, which follows a young woman (Sofia Boutella) with a mysterious past who must build an army to fight back against the tyrannical forces who are threatening her home and community. The ensemble cast also includes Charlie Hunnam, Corey Stoll, Djimon Hounsou, Cary Elwes, Jena Malone, Doona Bae, and Ray Fisher. The film was initially intended to be a Star Wars installment before becoming part of its own cool universe – one that even includes Army of the Dead.
Rebel Moon Part 1 lands on Netflix on December 22nd, 2023. Rebel Moon Part 2 will follow soon after, streaming on Netflix on April 19th, 2024.
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