Script problems and delays?

NY Mag wrote:Warner Bros. Offers 300 Sequel to Guy Ritchie

* 2/15/11 at 6:45 PM

Warner Bros. Offers 300 Sequel to Guy Ritchie

If you’re like most of Vulture readers, you don’t need us to tell you that Xerxes the Great was the fourth Zoroastrian king of the Achamenid Empire. Du-uh. But what you do need your Vulture editors to tell you is that Warner Bros. has offered Xerxes — the sequel to Zach Snyder’s epic 300 — to none other than Sherlock Holmes director Guy Ritchie.

Like 300 before it, Xerxes is based on one of Frank Miller’s graphic novels and had been developed by Snyder, who'd planned to direct his own script. So what gives?

One theory is that Warner Bros. needs Snyder to bear down on Superman stat: Insiders say the closely-guarded script for Superman suffers from major third-act problems, and the studio faces a ticking clock on that franchise, legally speaking; if a Superman film isn’t in production by 2013, Warner Bros. loses the rights to the entire Superman franchise and would have to re-license it from its original creators — the estates of Detective Comics writers Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster — at great if not prohibitive expense.

But there’s another theory: At a recent Warner Bros.—conducted audience research screening of Snyder’s Sucker Punch, the film tested poorly. Says one insider familiar with it, “It was bad; like, really bad. They’re [Warners brass] really not happy with it over there.”

That, plus with Snyder’s last two films (Watchmen and Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole) having under-performed, some insiders posit that offering Ritchie Xerxes means that Warner’s ardor for all things Snyder may be cooling just a bit.

Regardless, we’re pleased that Xerxes (a.k.a. King Ahasuerus) is heating up — and just in time for Purim! We have only one question: Cherry or apricot hamantashen, Guy?

URL- http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2011/02/warner_bros_offers_300_sequel.html

non_amos wrote:Puh-leaaazzzee don't say 3rd act problems! Anyone remember the 1st Reeve film? Of course you do! The 1st 2 acts were what you would call serious. However, when they introduced the 3rd act, we got the goofball story with Luthor's land scheme & who can forget OTIS?! "MR. LUUU-THORRRRRR!!!!!" Please don't tell me that they've once again came up with a great story except for.....how to END it?! I thought Goyer's idea was so phenomenal that even Nolan was impressed?! I also thought that things were moving along now?!

I do disagree with that article about Snyder. I don't know about Sucker Punch but I've been pleased with his films so far. WATCHMEN is one of the best comics adaptations I've ever seen bar none! Oh, it 'under-performed'. That's all that matters anymore, right?! The point is, Watchmen will no doubt go down in history as one of the better films, albeit after the fact! I think I get tired of all that moaning about whether or not Snyder is competent to do a comics film!

'300' sequel scoop: Guy Ritchie NOT directing
by Adam B. Vary


Guy Ritchie will not be directing Xerxes, the sequel to the 2007 surprise blockbuster 300, a Warner Bros. spokesperson tells EW. Reports that the Sherlock Holmes director had been formally offered the job are “an erroneous rumor,” according to the rep.

300 director Zack Snyder, meanwhile, is currently occupied working on the new Superman movie, which is due to start shooting this summer and hit theaters late next year, effectively preventing Snyder from taking the directing reigns of Xerxes until 2012. Whether Xerxes could hold until Snyder would be available is unclear: The project — based, like 300, on a Frank Miller graphic novel — remains in active development but has not yet been greenlit.

Apologist Puncher wrote:Well, looks like that "article" WAS made-up BULLSHIT:

http://insidemovies.ew.com/2011/02/16/300-sequel-xerxes-guy-ritchie-zack-snyder/

'300' sequel scoop: Guy Ritchie NOT directing
by Adam B. Vary


Guy Ritchie will not be directing Xerxes, the sequel to the 2007 surprise blockbuster 300, a Warner Bros. spokesperson tells EW. Reports that the Sherlock Holmes director had been formally offered the job are “an erroneous rumor,” according to the rep.

300 director Zack Snyder, meanwhile, is currently occupied working on the new Superman movie, which is due to start shooting this summer and hit theaters late next year, effectively preventing Snyder from taking the directing reigns of Xerxes until 2012. Whether Xerxes could hold until Snyder would be available is unclear: The project — based, like 300, on a Frank Miller graphic novel — remains in active development but has not yet been greenlit.

Unless, of course, some of you want to think that they ONLY lied about 1/2 of their "story"?