Wondering what’s next for Zack Snyder after the sprawling scale of his two “Rebel Moon” films? He’s heading in the opposite direction, and it’s curiously not with Netflix.
Though he’s quietly developing a UFC-set project backed by Saudi money, Snyder’s next official film will be “The Last Photograph,” a project he’s been trying to make since 2011. Production begins this month in Colombia, with “Rebel Moon” alums Stuart Martin and Fra Fee cast in the lead roles. (Back in 2016, the film was set to star Christian Bale and Sean Penn.)
Hans Zimmer is composing the score. No studio is currently attached to Snyder’s “indie,” and it will be interesting to see who eventually snatches it up — the fact that Netflix isn’t onboard will surely spark speculation, warranted or not, especially after the ‘Rebel Moon’ fiasco.
“The idea of taking camera in hand and simply making a movie in an intimate way is very appealing to me,” Snyder said in a statement. “‘The Last Photograph’ is a meditation on life and death, embodying some of the trials I’ve experienced in my own life and exploring those ideas through image-making.”
The film, which has a screenplay penned by Kurt Johnstad (“300”), follows an ex-DEA operative who ventures into the South American mountains to rescue his kidnapped niece and nephew. Joined by a washed-up war photographer, he confronts his past as their journey into the wilderness blurs the line between reality and the surreal.
One look at Snyder’s filmography shows a career built on epic, effects-heavy statements, so it will be interesting to see him make something “smaller” for the first time since his 2004 debut “Dawn of the Dead.” Then again, an action-driven DEA thriller isn’t exactly modest—it just feels small compared to his usual output.
In July, Snyder told Reel Blend he wanted to scale down after “Rebel Moon”:
“I’m trying to do a small movie right now. I’m not going to say what it is, but I was, like, can I just do a movie without any visual effects in it for like five minutes? Then, I’ll go back to the insanity […] I’m supposed to be writing this movie and that’s kind of what I want to do.”
Snyder had previously hinted at making a third “Rebel Moon” movie, but the response to the first two installments must have certainly put that project on permanent hold. I’d be very surprised if Netflix decides to greenlight another one in the near future.
Criterion's December lineup has some great additions to the library, but the title that jumped out at me is Werner Herzog's "Grizzly Man," which officially joins the Collection on December 8.