Zack Snyder

Director

• Born: March 1, 1966
• Place of Birth: Green Bay, Wisconsin

Contribution: Zack Snyder is a film director best known for his genre films, including 300 (2007), Watchmen (2009), Man of Steel (2013), and Zack Snyder's Justice League(2021).

Early Life

Zack Snyder was born March 1, 1966, in Green Bay, Wisconsin. When he was young, his family moved to Greenwich, Connecticut. His father worked as an executive recruiter and his mother pursued artistic endeavors. She was a painter and taught photography at Daycroft School in Stamford, Connecticut, which Snyder also attended. His mother’s artistic profession had an influence on Snyder’s early interest in art.

As a child, Snyder desired to be an animator. In 1977, when he was eleven years old, Star Wars was released and Snyder shifted his interest from animation to filmmaking. The following year, when he was only twelve, Synder snuck into a theater to watch the zombie film Dawn of the Dead (1978). This film, as well as Star Wars, had an impact on Snyder’s future work.

After graduating high school, Snyder traveled to England to attend the Heatherley School of Fine Art. He continued his education at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California.

Life’s Work

Once he finished college, Snyder jumped into directing commercials and music videos. He was prolific in the advertising world, oftentimes completing several commercials every month. Some of his clients included Budweiser, Gatorade, Audi, and BMW. He also directed music videos for artists such as Lizzy Borden, Morrissey, and Soul Asylum.

His work in commercials drew the attention of movie executives, and in 2002, he was hired by Columbia Pictures to direct S.W.A.T. (2003), a film adaptation of the 1975 television show of the same name. Shortly into production, Snyder left the project because of disagreements with the studio over his dark take on the film.

Leaving S.W.A.T. gave Snyder the opportunity to work on Dawn of the Dead (2004), a remake of the horror film that had inspired him as a child. The film focuses on a group of people fighting off zombies inside a shopping mall. While critics and fans typically frown upon remakes, Snyder’s Dawn of the Dead received generally favorable reviews. Even George Romero, director of the original film, stated that it was better than he thought it would be.

The financial success of Dawn of the Dead, which made more than $100 million worldwide, allowed Snyder to pursue his next film, 300, with studio support. Adapted from a graphic novel by Frank Miller, 300 is a fictionalized depiction of the Battle of Thermopylae in ancient Greece. Snyder’s goal with the film was to make a shot-for-shot adaptation of the graphic novel, using the comic book panels as his frames.

The film 300 was a huge success in theaters, grossing more than $450 million worldwide. It received mixed review from critics but was nominated for and won several awards. For his direction, Snyder won a 2007 Saturn Award.

Executives at Paramount Pictures were captivated with 300 and hired him to direct Watchmen, an adaptation of the graphic novel of the same name, which developed a large cult following after its publication in 1986. The story focuses on a group of retired vigilante heroes who are being targeted by an unknown killer. Like he did in 300, Snyder framed his film to align with the graphic novel’s panels. The film relies heavily on special effects, with more than one thousand shots containing computer-generated imagery (CGI). It received mixed reviews but did will in theaters.

For his next project, Snyder directed the 3-D computer-animated film Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole (2010), based on a series of fantasy books. While the film’s story line and characters were criticized, the film’s animation and use of 3-D were applauded. The following year, he directed the fantasy film Sucker Punch (2011), which he also cowrote.

In 2013, Snyder directed Man of Steel, a reimagining of Superman’s origin story starring Henry Cavill. It was the first film in a series of interconnected films based on characters from DC Comics. The film received mixed reviews but made more than $600 million in theaters. He then directed the follow-up film Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016), which became his most successful film to date, earning $872.2 million in theaters worldwide. In 2017, he directed the ensemble DC superhero film Justice League, however, he was forced to pass the project on to Joss Whedon during post-production due to the death of his daughter. In 2021, Snyder and HBO released an extended, director's cut version of Justice League, retitled Zack Snyder's Justice League. Over four hours long, the film received more positive reviews from fans and critics than the original version.

In 2023 and 2024, Snyder served as director for two sci-fi/fantasy space films, which he also co-wrote. In the first film, Rebel Moon-Part One: A Child of Fire, an outsider gathers an unlikely group of warriors to take on the tyrannical Mother World. The second, Rebel Moon-Part Two: The Scargiver, finds the outcast and her warriors fighting off a threat on their new home world. Both films were created for the Netflix streaming platform with PG-13 ratings, and the first film was also redone as an R-rated director's cut. The films received moderate ratings, and some critics savaged the R-rated director's cut for adding gore and sex that did little to improve the storyline or character development.

Impact

Snyder’s visually striking approach to genre films has made his work stand out among the wave of comic-book adaptations that hit cinemas in the 2000s. His successful transition from commercials to films was helped by his visual flair and unique approach to adapting source material.

Personal Life

Snyder married producer Deborah Johnson in 2004. Since 300, she has produced all of his films. They live in Pasadena, California. Snyder has four children from a previous marriage, two children from a previous relationship, and two children with Deborah. In 2017, Snyder's daughter Autumn died by suicide.

Bibliography

Billington, Alex. “Man of Steel Director Zack Snyder on Making Big Movies.” First Showing. First Showing, 12 June 2013. Web. 29 July 2013.

Lovece, Frank. “CGI: Watchmen: Zack Snyder Brings Superhero Saga to the Finish Line.” Film Journal International. Film Journal International, 19 Feb 2009. Web. 29 July 2013.

Pappademas, Alex. “Hollywood’s Leading Geek.” New York Times. New York Times, 18 Mar. 2011. Web. 29 July 2013.

Snyder, Zack. Interview by Tasha Robinson. AV Club. Onion, 22 Sept. 2010. Web. 29 July 2013.

Tassi, Paul. "I Watched Zack Snyder’s ‘Rebel Moon’ Director’s Cut: Part 1. That’s Probably Enough." Forbes, 2 Aug. 2024, www.forbes.com/sites/paultassi/2024/08/02/i-watched-zack-snyders-rebel-moon-directors-cut-part-1-thats-probably-enough/. Accessed 18 Sept. 2024.