Zack Snyder is finally going to get real, sets project about the LAPD
Say goodbye to space, and zombies, and over-the-top ass-kicking female badasses. (Actually, scratch that, those might be in the new thing, too.) Zack Snyder is leaving the world of fantasy behind and going for something a little more realistic and grounded this time. Or—well—let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves. Snyder’s next project is going to center on the Los Angeles Police Department, which is real (unlike Superman, who is not). Whether the film turns out to be actually grounded and realistic remains to be seen, but as of now it’s sounding like Snyder’s least out-there film yet.
This LAPD project is being set up at Netflix, which has hosted the last few Snyder flicks including the Rebels Moon. According to The Hollywood Reporter, “Specific details are being kept in lock-up, but the action thriller is being described as being set in the high-stakes world of life and death and centered on an elite LAPD unit that is relentlessly confronted with the unforgiving collision of law and morality.”
“Years ago, Dan [Lin, Netflix’s head of film] and I had a conversation about our shared interest in telling a compelling and visceral character-driven story set within the intense, complex and captivating landscape of the LAPD. It’s a conversation that has stuck with me,” Snyder said in a statement to THR. “So, as you would expect, I’m very excited to now have the opportunity to partner with Dan, along with the rest of my amazing partners at Netflix, in developing this story.”
After all the hullabaloo with Snyder at DC (that culminated in releasing the Snyder Cut of Justice League, itself something of a death knell to that vision of a shared DC film universe), the filmmaker hopped over to Netflix to create his own original worlds. Rebel Moon has been his attempt to create a franchise from scratch, intended to be built out into other properties (spin-offs, video games, etc.). The films have not been a critical success, and because it’s Netflix, it’s not totally clear if they can be regarded as commercially successful, either. No word if Snyder will fulfill his vision of making three or four more Rebels Moon, but you have to wonder if the tepid cultural impact of those films pushed him in the direction of something a little more traditionally palatable like a cop flick.