Zack Snyder revealed the reason he dropped out from directing the 2003 S.W.A.T. remake. If greenlighted, that film would have showcased his filmmaking style much earlier than 300.
The 2003 S.W.A.T. remake divided audiences when it launched in theaters; critics asserted the film should have transcended the spectacle and pacing of the original TV series, which featured by-the-numbers plots and action scenes. S.W.A.T. was still a box office hit despite lukewarm reception, thanks in part to its PG-13 rating. Conceived as early as 1997, that film was almost helmed by a who's who of directors including Michael Bay, Antoine Fuqua, Michael Mann, John Woo, Joel Schumacher, and Zack Snyder. In an interview with GQ, the Rebel Moon director revealed the reason he opted out of the project.
The S.W.A.T. remake would have been Snyder's first feature-length film credit, but Sony Pictures wasn't sold on his pitch. He was almost on board to direct but insisted on making an R-rated release. "At that time, I was a commercial director," he said. "I turned down S.W.A.T. I was on S.W.A.T. and I said, 'No, I wanna make an R-rated S.W.A.T. I want it to be hardcore. I want it to be like 300 with machine guns.' And they were like, 'No, we don't want that.' So I said, 'Okay, that's fine.' And I went back to making commercials…" If his pitch had been approved, S.W.A.T. would have showcased the filmmaking techniques he used in 300, which was released in 2007.
Snyder Offered To Remake A George A. Romero Classic
Snyder's exit from S.W.A.T. worked out well for him in retrospect. He was offered another project, which turned out to be his breakout film. His big break was an initial offer from film producer Eric Newman. "[Newman] said, 'Hey, what do you think of Dawn of the Dead?" Snyder revealed. "…So I got this James Gunn script, a remake of Dawn of the Dead, read the script. I was like, 'Okay, this is, this has a lot of, this could be awesome. I know exactly how to do this'… And before I knew it, they were like, 'Okay, cool, go do it.' We shot it in, I think, 60 days." Snyder's remake of the George A. Romero original was a box office hit, grossing $103 million against a $26 million budget. 2004's Dawn of the Dead has also gained a cult following among fans of the zombie subgenre.
Snyder has since directed and produced 12 feature-length films, including four DCEU releases. Aside from the two Rebel Moon films (which he intends to expand into a cinematic universe), Snyder is also working on Twilight of the Gods, an anime series on Norse mythology. That show is expected to premiere in late 2024 on Netflix.
Rebel Moon:A Child of Fire and The Scargiver are now streaming on Netflix.
