Will Weak 'Sucker Punch' Showing Affect Zack Snyder's 'Superman'?

Critics, Hollywood insiders weigh in the possibility that the director may be removed from the upcoming superhero reboot.
By Eric Ditzian

Zack Snyder and Superman
Photo: AFP/ Alex Ross/ DC Comics

There was a time, after "Dawn of the Dead" and "300," when few might have argued against handing Superman's cape to director Zack Snyder and telling him, "Resurrect this franchise!" Then came his polarizing adaptation of "Watchmen" and a disappointing box-office performance in "Legend of the Guardians," neither of which prevented Warner Bros. from giving Snyder the "Superman" gig last October. Now, though, in the wake of the critical drubbing and weak opening weekend of "Sucker Punch," some industry insiders suspect that the studio and its corporate parent are starting to wonder if Snyder — a director with a keen visual eye but not always the deftest storytelling touch — is truly the right man for the job.

In fact, David Poland of Movie City News even speculated that the director might end up departing the production. "Next month would be the moment when Snyder 'decides to do a more personal project,' if he was being given the heave-ho," the critic told MTV News.

Not that Poland or anyone else is suggesting that Snyder has one foot out the door. Certainly helping matters is that "The Dark Knight Rises" director Christopher Nolan has taken on a much-vaunted "godfather" role on "Superman."

"With Nolan shepherding 'Superman,' Warner Bros. will likely have complete trust in their collective vision as they attempt to reboot one of Hollywood's golden franchises," said Jeff Bock, box-office analyst for entertainment-research firm Exhibitor Relations. "Yes, 'Sucker Punch' is a creative and financial disappointment, and probably the last time in quite a while that Snyder will be given free reign over a film, but he was never going to have that creative autonomy with 'Superman' regardless."

Yet Nolan's guidance is hardly enough to ensure "Superman" success on the level of "Batman Begins" or "The Dark Knight." James Cameron, for instance, took on an executive-producer role on "Sanctum" — one can clearly see his input both in the visuals and the storyline — but no one would argue that the film resides in the same creative universe as "Avatar." What's more, it remains unclear how engaged Nolan will be as he readies production on "The Dark Knight Rises."

"How involved will Nolan really be? His ['Batman'] casting is ahead of 'Superman''s," said Poland. "[Is] Nolan godfathering Snyder or just WB? Is he there to give script notes or to really assert an influence? It's an unknown."

Poland maintains that Snyder's hiring always seemed to be a move spearheaded by Warner Bros. Pictures Group president Jeff Robinov rather than Nolan, since the two directors possess vastly different stylistic vocabularies. In this sense, it may not be that WB is reassessing Snyder so much as that Robinov's higher-ups at Time Warner are.

"[I]t's more about the bosses second-guessing. Will the noise level turn [CEO] Jeff Bewkes' head?" noted Poland. "Could another 'Superman' flop — meaning just $400 million worldwide, hit numbers for most films — change how Jeff Robinov is seen inside the company? ... I do believe that [Snyder] is Robinov's guy and that Robinov's career is on the line here."

It's important to note, however, that Warner Bros. certainly knew what it had in "Sucker Punch" before hiring Snyder — its commercial and critical reception couldn't have come as an inordinate surprise. Nor was its box-office debut ($19 million) especially shocking, according to Gitesh Pandya, editor of BoxOfficeGuru.com. "The opening was only a tad bit below expectations," he said. "If a branded film like 'Watchmen' opened like this, then it would be a big deal. The visuals were impressive and that's a major factor when it comes to a superhero tentpole. Many directors with far less action experience were handed comic-book epics before."

But even action-savvy helmers have faltered with "Superman." Just ask Bryan Singer. The thing is, after Singer's "Superman Returns" failed to resonate with the public in 2006, Warner Bros. can hardly afford to stumble again. According to Bock, WB understands that "it's do or die time," and continues to have confidence that its pairing of Snyder and Nolan was the right choice.

"[T]hey needed Nolan in a godfather capacity, and Snyder to up the hip quotient," Bock said. "Snyder knows how to create a dynamic spectacle on the silver screen, as he has shown with '300' and 'Dawn of the Dead,' and with Nolan guiding the story process, 'Superman' may just be the next big thing — again."

For breaking news and previews of the latest comic book movies — updated around the clock — visit SplashPage.MTV.com.

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Is Kendra Getting Snubbed By Hugh Hefner's Fiancee?

Kendra Wilkinson may be busy trying to take home the mirror ball trophy on Dancing with the Stars, but that doesn't mean that she's not still on top of her social calendar. The former Girl Next Door says she been anxiously awaiting the arrival of a wedding "save the date" card from former boyfriend Hugh Hefner and his new fiancee Crystal Harris, but it has yet to come.

"I haven't gotten my save the date yet," Wilkinson told E! Online. "I'm not joking, I'm really pissed off about it."

Kendra says that if the invite to the summer wedding doesn't come soon, she might not make it to Hef's nups.

"If I don't get a save the date, I have another wedding to attend that same day," she said. "I got a save the date from one of my closest friends for that date. I'm planning on going to Hef's but I haven't gotten the save the date for that same date. I'm getting kind of antsy because I need to pick which wedding to go to."

But Kendra says she's not holding the Playboy mogul responsible for the delay -- she's blaming Harris!

"It's Crystal that does the wedding planning," she said. "She's the girl! If she doesn't give me a save the date soon I'm going to have to put in my save the date with the other wedding."

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Dancing With the Stars? Karina Smirnoff and partner Ralph Macchio attended the Nintendo 3DS launch event at Siren Studios' Orange room in Hollywood, Calif,. after an all-day rehearsal and checked out Madden NFL Football and Pilotwings Resort.

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Justin Bieber's Next Album To Capture Justin Timberlake's Magic

Songwriter Sean Garrett says former 'NSYNC star's success inspires Bieber's new project and also dishes on Beyoncé's album.
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Justin Bieber
Photo: Getty Images

Justin Bieber may have declined the chance to join Justin Timberlake's label, but according to a songwriter in the know, the former 'NSYNC crooner is the inspiration for the teen sensation's upcoming album.

Songwriter Sean "The Pen "Garrett, who has been working with Bieber on the follow-up to the chart-ruling My World 2.0., spoke with Billboard about the direction for the teen superstar's forthcoming album, saying the project will feature more grown-up fare.

"What we're trying to do with Justin is to segue him into young adulthood," Garrett said of the project, which is also slated to feature production from hitmaker Christopher "Tricky" Stewart. "The one great thing about Justin Bieber is the fact that his fans are going to grow with him. So we want all the fans that started out with him to still be intrigued and excited about him, but we want to also stretch out a little bit and make the fans that are 22-23 years old love Justin as well. When Justin Timberlake went from the last album of *N Sync to his first solo album -- I want to say [we're aiming for] that level. That's the bar for the type of song, that level of 'Cry Me a River,' big records."

Garrett, who has crafted records for stars like Chris Brown and Bieber's mentor Usher, also said he's hard at work on Beyoncé's next project. However, the songwriter didn't divulge too much information, only revealing that he's "been working with her extremely hard ... she's my favorite."

While Garrett said the plan for his next outing is to angle Bieber toward a swiftly maturing audience, Bieber himself has refused to categorize his music, insisting to MTV News in December that he's just focused on creating quality records.

"Whatever comes out of my mouth is just what you guys are going to hear," Bieber explained of his hits. "I don't know, it's not a specific type of music. Whatever music I write, I wouldn't say I'm pop or R&B or country or anything: I would just say it's just good music,"

What do you think Justin Bieber's new music is going to sound like? Let us know in the comments!

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Rihanna: Chris Brown and I Don't Have to Talk "Ever Again"

While Chris Brown has been losing his cool over questions about Rihanna, his pop-star ex keeps on proving that she's one strong woman. In a new interview with Rolling Stone, Rihanna, 23, fearlessly answers questions about the aftermath of her abusive relationship with the 21-year-old Brown.

"I put my guard up so hard," says the singer, who was hospitalized after a beating from Brown on the night of the 2009 Grammys. "I didn't want people to see me cry. I didn't want people to feel bad for me. It was a very vulnerable time in my life, and I refused to let that be the image. I wanted them to see me as, 'I'm fine, I'm tough.' I put that up until it felt real."

Her refusal to play the victim is admirable, but that doesn't mean fans have forgiven Brown. In fact, Rihanna sparked a wave of Twitter outrage in February when she lifted her restraining order against her ex. But Rihanna says she wasn't doing it as a gesture of friendship; it was just professional courtesy.

"That's my decision. It doesn't mean we're gonna make up, or even talk again," the singer clarifies. "We don't have to talk ever again in my life."

"I just didn't want to make it more difficult for (Brown) professionally," she explains. "What he did was a personal thing -- it had nothing to do with his career. Saying he has to be a hundred feet away from me, he can't perform at awards shows -- that definitely made it difficult for him."

Rihanna, who will soon make her film debut in the upcoming board-game-based movie Battleship, hasn't let the incident scare her away from relationships. When Rolling Stone asks about the personal meaning behind her single "S&M," she says that she enjoys getting naughty in the bedroom.

"Being submissive in the bedroom is really fun," she says. "You get to be a little lady, to have somebody be macho and in charge of your s***. That's fun to me... I like to be spanked. Being tied up is fun. I like to keep it spontaneous."

Okay, perhaps a little TMI -- but it's great that Rihanna is taking control of her love life, and that she recognizes the major difference between consensual play and non-consensual violence. Clearly, Rihanna has learned from her past and moved on. Hopefully Brown can do the same.

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'Black Swan' Body Double Sarah Lane Stirs Controversy

Lane says there's been a 'cover-up' to promote idea that Natalie Portman did most of the dancing.
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"It was really extreme," Natalie Portman told MTV News in November. "And I definitely felt both physical and mental aftershocks from the experience, because it was the first thing I've ever done that was this physically demanding on top of an emotionally demanding part."

She was speaking about the 10 months she spent training to play a ballerina in "Black Swan," a role that would earn her a Best Actress Oscar in February. Now that awards season is over, however, a controversy has erupted over how much of the dancing in "Black Swan" was executed by Portman and how much was the work of her professional ballet-dancing body doubles.

Sarah Lane, a 27-year-old soloist at the American Ballet Theatre who stood in for Portman in the film, told Entertainment Weekly that she has been the victim of a "cover-up" meant to tout Portman's work at the expense of her own.

"Of the full body shots, I would say 5 percent are Natalie. All the other shots are me," she said. "They wanted to create this idea in people's minds that Natalie was some kind of prodigy or so gifted in dance and really worked so hard to make herself a ballerina in a year and a half for the movie, basically because of the Oscar. It is demeaning to the profession and not just to me. I've been doing this for 22 years."

Following Lane's comments, Fox Searchlight released a statement that was both supportive of the dancer but emphasized the amount of Portman's own ballet that made it into the movie. "We were fortunate to have Sarah there to cover the more complicated dance sequences and we have nothing but praise for the hard work she did," the statement read. "However, Natalie herself did most of the dancing featured in the final film."

The debate caught fire last week after Benjamin Millepied, Portman's fiancé and "Black Swan" choreographer, told the Los Angeles Times, "There are articles now talking about her dance double [Lane] that are making it sound like [Lane] did a lot of the work, but really, she just did the footwork, and the fouettés, and one diagonal [phrase] in the studio. Honestly, 85 percent of that movie is Natalie."

MTV News asked Portman's reps for comment but had not heard back as of press time.

Check out everything we've got on "Black Swan."

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.

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Michael Jackson Wrongful Death Suit Vs. AEG Can Proceed, Judge Rules

Katherine Jackson and family are pursuing a claim against concert promoter.
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When he was alive, Michael Jackson was forever embroiled in a series of complex and expensive-sounding lawsuits. But even in death, the late King of Pop is the subject of major legal action. None could potentially be bigger than the wrongful death lawsuit filed by the pop icon's mother, Katherine Jackson, against concert promotion giant AEG Live.

Reuters reported that a Los Angeles judge ruled on Wednesday that the civil lawsuit can go forward. It will proceed in parallel with the criminal case against Jackson's physician, Dr. Conrad Murray, who has been charged with involuntary manslaughter in connection with Jackson's June 2009 death from an overdose of the powerful surgical anesthetic propofol. Murray is the only person charged in Jackson's death and he is currently awaiting trial in that matter.

Katherine Jackson's lawsuit — filed in September on behalf of her and Jackson's three young children — accuses AEG of being responsible for the medical decisions made by Murray, whose salary was paid by the touring company behind Jackson's attempted "This Is It" comeback shows in London. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Yvette Palazuelos denied a motion on Wednesday by AEG to dismiss Katherine Jackson's suit, but warned Jackson's attorneys that they would need to show evidence of "fraud, negligent infliction of emotional distress and civil conspiracy" in order to win the case.

The judge has already said she doubts they can prove the latter charge, because the suit does not detail any agreement between Murray and AEG to break the law in providing medical care to Jackson.

"If the object was to get him to rehearsals, I don't see that as a wrongful or illegal act," the judge said. A lawyer for AEG told the judge that the company could not have predicted beforehand that Murray's medical decisions would result in Jackson's death. Court papers also show that AEG "did not choose to hire Murray" and had only participated in negotiations to bring him on as an independent contractor. Michael, who had previously been treated by Murray in Las Vegas, was reportedly the one who suggested the cardiologist serve as his personal, on-call physician during the "This Is It" rehearsals and shows.

Katherine Jackson's attorney recently dropped choreographer Kenny Ortega from the lawsuit based on new information they received about his actions. The next hearing in the case is scheduled for March 22, just six days before Murray is due back in court for his trial. Jackson's father, Joseph, has twice attempted to file a wrongful death suit in the matter, though his is focused on Murray and the Las Vegas pharmacy that supplied the propofol, not AEG Live.

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Katie, who stars in the flick, snacked away during the swanky event, where she didn't seem bothered in the least by recent criticism of her laid-back parenting style -- which included taking her 4-year-old daughter to New York dessert spot Serendipity 3 at midnight on March 15 for ice cream sundaes. Suri was even photographed being up way past her bedtime and holding a package of "Penis Gummis!"

But when asked about little Suri, Katie replied, "She's fine, thank you!"

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Matt Damon: Kissing Michael Douglas Is Like Kissing Catherine Zeta-Jones

Matt Damon has kissed some of Hollywood’s hottest actresses, and for his latest role, he gets to smooch one of Tinseltown’s leading men, too! In an interview with People, Damon, 40, gushes about the prospect of locking lips with Michael Douglas, 66, for his role in Liberace, an upcoming biopic about the late, gay pianist.

"I never thought I would get to kiss Michael Douglas," Damon -- who will play the boyfriend to Douglas' Liberace -- says of his on-screen make-out. "I kind of think of it in algebra terms, back to my high-school days," he says. "It's like the transitive property -- by kissing Michael Douglas, I am making out with Catherine (Zeta-Jones)."

Damon previously worked with Douglas' wife on Oceans Twelve, but Brad Pitt was Zeta-Jones' romantic interest in that one. "I was actually kind of upset that I never got to kiss Catherine," he jokes. "But now I get to kiss Michael. I thought it would have been better if I could have at least kissed them both."

"They're two really great roles, and we're really looking forward to it," Damon says of the film. This is Douglas' triumphant return to work after a successful battle with cancer. "There’s scripted that there’s actually more than one (kiss)," Damon says. That means we can expect quite a few on-screen smooches with Zeta-Jones' hubby!

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Out & About

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Japanese Earthquake, Tsunami On The Minds Of Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber, More

Katy Perry, Ryan Seacrest, Lindsay Lohan tweet support for those affected by the disaster.
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The world is still reacting to the news of an 8.9-magnitude earthquake that struck Japan on Friday (March 11). The devastating quake triggered a 10-meter tsunami that now threatens Pacific coastal areas including Hawaii and the West Coast of the United States. Celebrities have taken to Twitter to share their love and support for those affected by the natural disaster.

"I'm sending my thoughts and prayers and love to those in Japan who are hurting," Taylor Swift tweeted. Fellow pop princess Katy Perry shared a similar sentiment, writing, "My prayers go out to anyone that is being effected by the disaster in Japan. #prayforjapan."

Selena Gomez, who was just in the country, took to Facebook to express her concern. "Wow, I don't even know what to say, Japan. I was just there and you were all so wonderful to me," she wrote. "I am sending all my love, prayers and support."

Justin Bieber also tweeted about the news. "Japan is one of my favorite places on earth. ... It's an incredible culture with amazing people. My prayers go out to them. We all need to help." He added, "#prayforjapan."

"Our hearts and prayers are with all of our BSB family in Japan. We love you all so much. Please try to stay safe. ... Kisses and hugs from us!" the Backstreet Boys tweeted, with their tourmates New Kids on the Block adding, "Our thoughts are with all those around the world affected by the earthquake in Japan."

"American Idol" host Ryan Seacrest wrote on Twitter, "Glued to TV watching this unreal earthquake footage out of Japan. Sending prayers to everyone affected. Unbelievable."

As the weather threatens his home state of Hawaii, the president tweeted a strong message of support. "Sending condolences to the people of Japan, particularly those who lost loved ones in the earthquake & tsunamis. U.S. stands ready to help."

"Glee" stars Lea Michele and Amber Riley also had kind words for those affected. Michele tweeted, "So devastating to hear about the huge earthquake & tsunami [in] Japan. My thoughts and prayers are with everyone there." Riley added, "Omg my heart goes out to Japan. I pray this devastation stops."

Embattled actress Lindsay Lohan even seemed overwhelmed by the news, writing, "My mommy just woke my sister and i up to this! god bless those that are in fear."

"The images on the news are breaking my heart," Paris Hilton wrote online. "I am so worried for everyone in Japan. My thoughts are with you Japan. God bless you all."

For more information on what you can do to help with earthquake and tsunami relief efforts in Japan head to MTV Act, or text REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation.

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