Warner Bros. Pictures, along with Atmosphere Ent. MM and Hollywood Gang Prods., will bring Frank Miller's graphic novel 300, which chronicles the legendary Battle of Thermopylae and the origins of democracy, to the big screen, reports HOLLYWOOD REPORTER. The trio of production houses has hired DAWN OF THE DEAD director Zach Snyder to the direct and do a rewrite with Kurt Johnstad. Michael Gordon wrote the first draft of the screenplay. Atmosphere's Mark Canton and Hollywood Gang's Gianni Nunnari will produce.
"This is a very exciting project for our companies and the talent involved," Canton said. "We are really going in a different direction with 300. It's really an anti-epic. We have a talented young filmmaker. It is Miller's own favorite piece. It has major themes of freedom, democracy and brotherhood that are very much in keeping with the world today. It is going to be like making BATMAN with Tim Burton or like THE MATRIX something that you haven't seen before. It is an anti-traditional rendering, which is what Miller does."
Nunnari said, "As evidenced by DAWN OF THE DEAD, Zach Snyder brings fresh, energetic style to the screen. What makes this film even more distinct is that we are not going to do it the old-fashioned way of visualizing a film, but rather as a cooler depiction of what Frank Miller's unique images portray."
Miller will exec produce with Atmosphere's Bernie Goldmann. Hollywood Gang's Scott Coleman and Atmosphere's Steve Barnett will co-produce.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
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