MAN OF STEEL: THE PRODUCTION

           
        

From Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures comes “Man of Steel,”TM starring Henry Cavill in the role of Clark Kent/Kal-El under the direction of Zack Snyder.

A young boy learns that he has extraordinary powers and is not of this Earth.  As a young man, he journeys to discover where he came from and what he was sent here to do.  But the hero in him must emerge if he is to save the world from annihilation and become the symbol of hope for all mankind.

The film also stars four-time Oscar® nominee Amy Adams (“The Master”), Oscar® nominee Michael Shannon (“Revolutionary Road”), Academy Award® winner Kevin Costner (“Dances with Wolves”), Oscar® nominee Diane Lane (“Unfaithful”), Oscar® nominee Laurence Fishburne (“What’s Love Got to Do with It”), Antje Traue, Ayelet Zurer, Christopher Meloni, and Academy Award® winner Russell Crowe (“Gladiator”).

“Man of Steel” is produced by Charles Roven, Christopher Nolan, Emma Thomas and Deborah Snyder.  The screenplay was written by David S. Goyer from a story by Goyer & Nolan, based upon Superman characters created by Jerry Siegel & Joe Shuster and published by DC Entertainment.  Thomas Tull, Lloyd Phillips and Jon Peters served as executive producers.

Zack Snyder’s behind-the-scenes team included director of photography Amir Mokri, production designer Alex McDowell, editor David Brenner, and multiple Academy Award®-winning costume designer James Acheson (“Restoration”) and costume designer Michael Wilkinson.  The music is by Academy Award®-winning composer Hans Zimmer (“The Lion King”).

Warner Bros. Pictures presents, in association with Legendary Pictures, a Syncopy Production, a Zack Snyder Film, “Man of Steel.”  The film will be released in 2D and 3D in select theaters and IMAX®, and will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.



ABOUT THE PRODUCTION


THE EVOLUTION OF A MODERN SUPER HERO

JOR-EL
You will give the people of Earth an ideal to strive towards.  They’ll race behind you.
They will stumble.  They will fall.  But in time, they will join you in the sun.
 In time, you will help them accomplish wonders.

Born Kal-El of Krypton, raised Clark Kent on Earth.  What world does he belong to?  What world does he fight for?  Those are the questions confronting Superman, and the choices he makes will determine the fate of the planet he has always called home.

 “In the world of Super Heroes, Superman is the completely uncompromising figure who exists to represent the best that all of us can be,” director Zack Snyder states.  “He is the ideal; he’s what we strive for, that magical, golden god, the kind of icon that has extended beyond the comics world and into all of popular culture.”

Created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster and first appearing in the comic book Action Comics #1, published on April 18, 1938, Superman quickly became a cultural phenomenon, winning fans around the world in live-action and animated form in nearly every known entertainment medium.  In feature films, TV shows, radio, video games, social media and literature, he has battled some of the greatest villains of all time.

Given the character’s iconic status, Henry Cavill, who soars through the skies in Snyder’s action adventure, was both excited and humbled to play the titular character in “Man of Steel.”  “Superman is one of the truly special figures man has created throughout history,” he relates.  “He stands for hope, for the ability to conquer adversity against all odds.  That’s something we can always hold onto, no matter where we are in life or what’s going on in the world.  We will always face hardships in one way or another, and therefore hope will always play a significant part in our lives.  To take on that mantle of hope as Superman was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up.”

Though known for his ability to bring high energy action to his films, and create fantastical worlds on screen, Snyder was initially hesitant to take on the responsibility of bringing one of the first comic book Super Heroes back to the silver screen.  “I was pretty into comics when I was growing up, and Superman was a favorite of mine, so I wasn’t sure I wanted to do it,” he acknowledges.  “I wasn’t sure where I could take the character that he hadn’t gone before.”

Then he read the screenplay David S. Goyer had written, based on a story Goyer devised with one of the film’s producers, Christopher Nolan.  “Without breaking the canon, without taking away the things that make him Superman, they were able to make him totally relatable,” Snyder says.  “They took me on a journey that was interesting to me, and that was the reason to do it.”

Nolan offers, “Audiences will be very familiar with ‘Man of Steel’s’ portrayal of Superman as the ultimate superhero, but where he was an impenetrable, god-like figure in previous iterations of his story, we show him as a rather more relatable figure who deals with very human issues of love, divided loyalties and family, even as he is anything but human himself.”

The story also captured the imagination of producer Charles Roven.  “I really liked the script from the very beginning, because I found that it had enough of what I grew up with, but was still completely fresh, a different take on a very revered subject.  He’s a very aspirational character; I think that every kid grows up thinking that, one day, I could be like Superman.  What I loved about this story is that he’s still a character you want to be like, but he’s a lot more complex than we’ve ever seen him before.  It’s a much more emotional road that he travels.”

To take the character down that road throughout the production process, Snyder instinctually knew it would be a departure for him as a filmmaker, despite having worked in the genre before.

“We were thrilled when Zack agreed to take on ‘Man of Steel,’” producer Emma Thomas states.  “He had amply demonstrated an extraordinary grasp of the technical complexities and heightened storytelling demanded by this genre with his previous work, and those qualities, combined with his love for the character, made him the perfect man for the job of bringing this contemporary take on Superman to the big screen.”

Producer Deborah Snyder recalls, “One of the first things Zack said to me was, ‘This is going to be the most realistic film I’ve ever done.  How ironic is that?’  But that was our goal: to make Superman relevant for today’s audiences, to make him fit into our world.”

In capturing that realism, the director chose to shoot on film and in 2D instead of native 3D, to be converted into 3D in post.  Snyder continues, “Zack felt that an intimate filmmaking style, including handheld cameras, would help us connect with Clark who, when we first meet him, is kind of lost, trying to find his place but feeling very out of place, which is something we’ve all felt at some point in our lives.”

In scripting the story he and Nolan wrote, screenwriter David Goyer determined that “the film is very much about choices.  It’s about a man with two fathers: Jor-El, Kal’s Kryptonian father, and Jonathan Kent, Clark’s dad on Earth.  Clark/Kal has grown up with two sets of histories, though only one was known to him until now.  And now he needs to reconcile those teachings if he is to become the man that, arguably, both fathers would want him to be, in their own ways.”

These two very influential role models in his life are portrayed by two highly regarded actors: Kevin Costner stars as Jonathan Kent, and Russell Crowe as Jor-El.  Diane Lane also stars, as Jonathan’s wife and Clark’s mother, Martha Kent, who serves as a steady, calming presence throughout her son’s life.  And, just as Clark is beginning to discover the secrets of his birth and decide which course he must follow, he meets a woman who could have a good deal of influence over the choices he makes, and who has the power to turn his world upside down: investigative journalist Lois Lane.  Amy Adams stars as the comic book world’s most famous newspaper reporter.

“Part of Clark’s journey is finding acceptance,” Adams notes.  “He’s running from it, hiding from it, because he hasn’t come to terms with who he is, and that makes for a lonely existence.  He’s had to work hard not to expose his abilities, but he’s made some mistakes there, and that has made him extremely intriguing to someone like Lois, whose job, whose very nature, is about uncovering—and exposing—the truth.”

In today’s über-technological world, very little information is withheld from public notice and what is, is often uncovered and exposed, whether at the hands of the media, by self-appointed wiki watchdogs, or via viral video.  Thus, it’s difficult to imagine that an alien from another planet could live among us, undetected, for any length of time.  And, of course, once discovered, that individual would likely never find peace again.

“We knew that to tell Superman’s story in a modern context meant addressing the trappings of our modern times,” Snyder remarks.  “And the character inherently comes with a lot of expectations as well, having been around and idolized for 75 years.  So, it was important that we vetted the ramifications of every decision we made in updating him and his environment, from Smallville to the S-shield.”

Cavill relates, “Everything grows and evolves at some stage, and I think this contemporized version is another stage of that evolution.  If you read the DC comic books, like the New 52 from a couple years back, they’ve been doing it as well—in a different way than Zack and Chris and David have, perhaps—but the new Superman’s suit is entirely different, and his attitude has changed a bit, while his core characteristics are still there.  It’s growth for a modern reader, and our film does that for a modern audience.”

Even as the filmmakers explored the genesis of the legendary character, Snyder offers, “We knew the action had to be bigger than big, with heart-pounding, edge-of-your-seat thrills.  We never lost sight of the fact that we were making a Superman movie.”

CASTING AN ICON

CLARK/KAL-EL
I have so many questions.  Where do I come from?

            When we first meet Clark Kent in “Man of Steel,” he is a grown man hiding from the world.  He is unable to remain unnoticed under the watchful and increasingly suspicious eyes of the people of Smallville—thanks in large part to the manifestations of his superpowers and his inability to keep them completely under wraps, as his Earth father, Jonathan, advised him.  Therefore, Clark has abandoned all he knows and loves, wandering in a metaphorical desert of odd jobs and emotional isolation in search of his true self.

“Clark feels he has to stay on the fringes of society,” Zack Snyder explains.  “That way, if he’s forced to use his abilities—if he saves someone’s life or does anything else out of the ordinary—it is easy for him to disappear.”  

However, it is a solitary existence, one devoid of companionship and equally filled with longing.  Knowing he is not of this planet, he also worries about what humans would do to him if the degree of his uniqueness were to be revealed.  And, if he is ever able to discover his true origins, will he find that he belongs there instead?

The director continues, “He’s wondering, ‘What is my purpose?’  We all ask that of ourselves, but it’s harder for Clark because the things that he’s best at are also the things that are most frightening about him to others; knowledge of his existence would call into question everything we know about who we are.  So he’s on his own, trying to find out what his place is in the world, where he belongs, what is his destiny.  I think the audience will relate because most of us share those same questions and insecurities when we are starting out in life.”

British actor Henry Cavill, who stars in the multi-faceted role, says, “Clark has always felt like an outsider.  He was raised by Jonathan and Martha Kent to never react in an aggressive, violent manner and, most of all, never to reveal the things that he can do.  But dealing with the very real growing pains of becoming a young man unlike any other, and being unable to share that with anyone else, has manifested a sense of isolation in him.  That isolation is only amplified by the fact that he feels powerless to do anything about it, while actually having all the power in the world.”

“Henry really found a way to play the many contradictions in the character,” Snyder relates.  “Clark is physically superior but can’t show it, he has X-ray vision but must learn to regulate it, and even though he’s misunderstood by the human race, he still finds the good in people; he still instinctively wants to help.  Henry did an incredible job of conveying the conflict within him, while also projecting that sincerity that is inherent to the role.”

In taking on a part that was both physically and emotionally demanding, Cavill says he found an ally and invaluable guide in Snyder.  “Zack was fantastic,” the actor states.  “His energy was always up and, as much as the hours on set were long, he kept things interesting and moving, and it permeated throughout the cast and crew.  We were making a Superman movie, after all, and Zack’s positive attitude reminded us of that every day.”

According to Roven, playing Superman gave Cavill a boost in much the same way it’s given every child who ever donned a makeshift cape and imagined him or herself flying through the skies.  “When he put on that suit, Henry’s whole demeanor changed.  He really owned the character, on- and off-camera, and put an amazing amount of hard work and thought into every aspect of his performance.  It was great fun to watch.”

Cavill began conducting his research into the part at the source: comic books.  “I got into the comics and that gave me a great baseline to the character.  He’s far more complex than I think most people know.  He admittedly has a moral code, but he’s incredibly conflicted.  In the story we’re telling, his origin story, he’s learning everything about himself right along with the audience.  So, when he’s faced with having to fight for Earth or for Krypton, well…it’s not exactly an easy decision to make.”

LARA LOR-VAN
He’ll be an outcast.  They’ll kill him.

JOR-EL
How?  He’ll be a god to them.

Jonathan and Martha Kent found their son when his spaceship landed on their farm in the town of Smallville, Kansas.  Rather than alerting the authorities, they hid the ship, named the baby Clark, and raised him as their own.  The secret came at a cost, though, as the alien boy exhibited otherworldly sensitivities and abilities that gradually raised concerns in the community.  The Kents lived in constant fear that there would be a knock on their door, and Clark would be taken from them forever.
“Jonathan and Martha understand right away that finding Clark was both a blessing and a curse,” Snyder says.  “Jonathan knows that he is not only a father, but he also has to be the guy who, while protecting his son no matter what, has to keep his eye on the ball.  He realizes that this is bigger than him, bigger than all of them.  Clark could change the course of history.”

Thus it falls to the concerned, loving dad to impress upon his son the magnitude of what his existence means for humanity, even if they are as yet unaware.

Kevin Costner portrays Jonathan Kent, whose paternal responsibilities are greater than most could ever imagine.  “The nature of a father is to teach and protect.  My character tells Clark that he’s a miracle, proof that we are not alone in the universe,” the actor offers.  “It’s a huge burden to bear, but Jonathan believes that his son is on Earth for a reason and, as he says to him, the day will come when he will have to decide whether to stand proud in front of the human race, or not.”

Costner felt the themes of the film, especially with regard to the relationship between his and Cavill’s characters, have very real world implications.  “People often talk about movies as being make-believe,” he says.  “But the truth is, sometimes movies can construct moments that make you ask yourself, ‘What would I do in this situation?  What kind of man am I?’”

Though absent through all of Clark’s young life, it eventually falls to his biological father, Jor-El, to ingrain in his son how crucial his existence is, but this time for Krypton.  Having only just discovered his alien roots as the last son of that planet, and learned his true name to be Kal-El, Clark nonetheless begins to feel a real sense of self for the first time in his life.

Kal-El is the light of his parents’ lives, if only for a moment.  Almost immediately after he is born, his father, Jor-El, the planet’s leading scientific mind, and mother, Lara Lor-Van, must make the heartbreaking decision to send their infant hurtling through space in search of a safe haven.  Krypton’s natural resources are depleted, and it is imploding at a rapid pace.  Jor-El’s pleas to evacuate have fallen on deaf ears, and he feels the only way to preserve the Kryptonian race is by rescuing its most innocent member, with the hope that Kal can survive and, through him, their people.

“Jor-El is very much an advocate of free choice, and that made him an outlier on Krypton,” Goyer explains.  “In effect, it made him a criminal, an enemy of the State.  Part of his hope for Kal is that he will continue that philosophy of free will.”

Russell Crowe, who plays the renegade scientist, asserts, “If you come at the story from the perspective that Jor-El is simply a good guy, I think that is underselling the argument that exists, at least to my mind, that there’s a touch of madness to him, a touch of massive desperation in what he’s doing.  As far as he’s concerned, it’s the last roll of the dice for keeping Krypton alive.”

In order to accomplish that goal, Jor-El must first relate to Kal the story of his past, and impress upon him the importance of his future.  This he accomplishes only when Clark’s journeys bring him to the one place on Earth that Jor-El can connect with him: a frozen tundra that holds a secret more than 20,000 years old…and that allows for Kal to come face-to-face with the image of his father.

“One of the really critical things that Jor-El tells his son is that in this world he must step out of the shadows to help correct the mistakes made on Krypton,” Crowe reveals.  “It is a huge responsibility, but if he doesn’t fulfill his destiny…there is nobody else.”

Jor-El’s wife and the birth mother of Kal-El, Lara Lor-Van’s heart breaks as she and her husband place their newborn child, Kal-El, in a space pod.  With little to sustain them except the belief that at least their son will live, they send him into the unknown.  It is an act that is particularly painful for the woman who had just given him life against all odds.

Ayelet Zurer, who plays Lara, says “She’s an incredibly brave woman in unimaginably sad circumstances.  She reminds me of women in war-torn countries, and what they do to save their kids.  A mother would not send her son away against all of her instincts…unless she thinks there’s hope.”
Despite the strength of the paternal voices in his head, it could easily be said that the women in Clark/Kal-El’s life hold great sway over his choices as well: one, with quiet, nurturing strength, the other with quick wit and pure tenacity.

“I think of Martha Kent as very pragmatic,” says Diane Lane of her character, Clark’s Earth mother, in every sense of the word.  “I think she has to be, because when you find this ‘star’ child on your farm,” she laughs, “and you realize all of the capacities that this young being has, there has to be a moral obligation to be the best tour guide you can be.  She knows he’s special, and that she’s been given this opportunity, as a mother, for a reason.  I think she feels duty- and honor-bound to explain the world to him as best she can.”

In playing the role, Lane called upon her own parenting skills, and those of her mother.  “I remember being a little kid and breaking all my crayons in order to convince my mother to do whatever I wanted her to do.  I imagine if I had had the strength to tear down the house, I probably would have.  At that point, you think, maybe there’s another way to handle those feelings.  In the movie, Martha is the one who found the way to help her young son calm down when things are too difficult for him, protecting him from outsiders without having any shame about his gifts.  She knows that he’s going to require as much internal strength as he has physical strength when he goes out into the world.”

“Diane and Kevin just completely embodied the all-American parents,” Deborah Snyder says.  “They both worked so generously with the younger actors playing Clark, and brought so much genuine emotion to their scenes with them and Henry.  It was incredibly touching.”

Once he does grow up and leave home, Clark drifts, but leaves an unintentional trail of courageous, seemingly impossible and equally inexplicable acts behind him.  Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Lois Lane of The Daily Planet is on assignment in the Arctic when she witnesses firsthand Clark’s extraordinary powers.  Lois is convinced she is onto the story of the century.  Her investigative skills are admirable, but Lois is blind to the consequences her revelations may have for her mystery man.
Amy Adams embodies one of the most famous female characters in comics, who has no superpowers of her own—other than those of deduction.  “Like so many journalists, Lois is singularly focused; she’s only aware of the story she wants to tell.  She has that fearlessness in pursuit of truth, the belief that it is more important than one’s own wellbeing, but it has become addictive, clouding her judgment and detaching her from the real people behind her stories.”

So it comes as a surprise, especially to Lois herself, when Clark’s assertion that the world may not be ready for his truth makes her think twice about her objectives.  “She recognizes there isn’t one truth, that there’s truth from different perspectives,” Adams continues, adding that, because of her ambitions, and perhaps because of the nature of her job, “Lois had lost trust and belief in goodness.  To see and feel that Clark’s intent is so pure is reinvigorating for her; it’s almost like a rebirth for her.  I think it’s very interesting that it takes this person from another world to make her more human.”

“There are so many facets to Lois,” Deborah Snyder says.  “She is tough as nails, feisty, and also beautiful and sensitive and emotional, but she’s no damsel in distress.  She’s a truly modern woman.  We were so lucky to have such an accomplished actress play her.  Amy brought so much depth and spirit to the character.”

While Lois may believe she’s onto the Planet’s ultimate front page story, her editor is understandably skeptical.  Taking on the role of Perry White is Laurence Fishburne, a fan of the genre who jumped at the chance to work with Zack Snyder.  “From my first conversation with Zack, before we even started talking about the script or the story, I felt really confident about the project,” Fishburne says.  “I’ve always enjoyed his work, and I believe he is a director who can really deliver a film that’s based in the comics and graphic novel world, so I thought he’d do a terrific job with Superman.”

The esteemed actor understands the popularity of the enduring Super Hero.  “‘Joe Normal’ needs to feel like a Superman sometimes, whether with his wife, his children, his coworkers or his friends.  There are always those moments when we need someone to tell us that we are extraordinary, that we’re capable of incredible things.  What I liked about the way the writers structured this particular story is that it suggests that we are extraordinary, that we can do great things, and that it is less about having superpowers than it is about the choices we make.”

Luckily for Clark, Perry puts the kibosh on Lois’s account of an alien on Earth.  However, unfortunately for both Clark and the people of Earth, whether or not Lois chooses to pursue her story without Perry’s consent will quickly become academic when the spaceship The Black Zero, commanded by the ruthless General Zod, hones in on the planet.

“Someone once said that no villain thinks of himself as a villain, he is always the hero of his own story,” Goyer conveys.  “In Zod’s mind, he is a noble figure.” 

However, Michael Shannon, who portrays the charismatic, militant leader, believes, Zod’s behavior isn’t entirely patriotic.  “I think anyone who spends their life as a warrior, who metes out orders, grows accustomed to a certain structure.  Once that structure is taken away from them, they still have that impulse.  Once one has power, one enjoys exercising it.  But it is interesting to watch Zod try to stay pure to his intentions.”

Both Zod and his onetime compatriot, Jor-El, have, in their different ways, put the survival of their species ahead of other considerations.  “Zod genuinely believes that what he’s doing is for the better of Krypton,” Cavill observes.  “He tried to explain it to Jor-El, but they just didn’t see things the same way.  So he’s trying with my character.  When he tells Kal how beautiful Krypton was, how it can be again, you see the strength and passion of his vision.  It’s what he deems necessary to achieve that goal that takes him from visionary to dictator and destroyer.  Michael plays him with a wonderful stillness, which carries a lot of weight.”

“There’s a comparison to be made,” argues Shannon, “and it is certainly worth wondering that, were Earth in as dire straits as Krypton is at the beginning of the film, what would we do?  Certainly there would be more than one solution, more than one valid argument.  What side would you take?  Wouldn’t you try to stop it from happening?  Zod, in his way, was taking a side, perhaps no more forcefully than Jor-El was.  It was just a different side.”

Zack Snyder observes that both Crowe and Shannon brought equal passion and power to their scenes together.  “Russell and Michael complemented each other perfectly.  Because their characters have a long history in the movie, it was important that you get that instantly, and because they’re so good, they really brought a depth to the relationship that went beyond even what I could have hoped for.”
Zod and his merciless crew are warriors who no longer can protect their planet, so now they are bent on preserving their race.  Antje Traue, who plays Zod’s stalwart second-in-command, Faora-Ul, says the single-minded nature of her character is due to the fact that “she’s a creature for whom violence is satisfaction.  She doesn’t feel remorse.  She inflicts suffering and she experiences it herself, but it doesn’t have any meaning; there’s no subtext.  And her loyalty is absolute: Faora serves Zod, she fights for him, she protects him, follows him without question.”  

Goyer explains, “Faora isn’t really a villain; she’s not evil, per se.  We’re judging her through this human lens.  On Krypton, there’s a caste system, and everyone in Krypton has been raised to fit into a certain specific stratified role.  Faora was bred to be a warrior, to kill and to obey orders.  She’s not meant to have compassion; that’s a weakness.  So, by following Zod, she’s doing what she was born to do, she’s fulfilling that purpose.”

Zod’s invasion is met by U.S. forces who are no less devoted to duty and to saving their own planet.  Among their leaders is Colonel Nathan Hardy, played by Christopher Meloni.  The Air Force colonel is initially very distrustful of outsiders looking in on military operations, starting with Lois Lane.

“Have you ever seen a dog’s hair rise on its back?” Meloni smiles.  “That’s what happens to Hardy when he first meets Lois.  She’s a real chop-buster; she tries to steamroll him, but he doesn’t kowtow to her.”  Hardy has an equally bristling view of Superman, too.  “He doesn’t trust him, possibly fears him.  I think he sees Superman as a fairly potent weapon, which makes sense considering what Hardy does for a living.”

Despite the nature of the battle between the Kryptonian renegades and the U.S. military, Meloni feels that the film offers an interesting commentary on the nature of power.  “Superman’s journey in the film is partly about learning how to control his powers, which raises the question, ‘What is true power?’  I think true power is forgiving, true power is withholding, true power is not fear-based.”

Rounding out the cast are Harry Lennix as Hardy’s Air Force commander, General Swanwick; Richard Schiff as Dr. Emil Hamilton, a scientist aiding Swanwick’s military unit in the Arctic; Michael Kelly as the Daily Planet’s sports writer Steve Lombard; and Cooper Timberline and Dylan Sprayberry, who play Clark Kent at ages 9 and 13, respectively.

“We had a knockout cast,” Zack Snyder says.  “It was so important to all of us to make sure that the actors not only fulfilled the needs of the story, but also would embody these well known, beloved characters in the eyes of the legion of Superman fans.  I think they accomplished that and more.”

WORLD BUILDING

JONATHAN KENT
You’re the answer, son.  You’re the answer to ‘are we alone in the universe?’
I have to believe that you were sent here for a reason, and even if it takes the rest of your life, you owe it to yourself to find out what that reason is.

Going back to the beginning of Superman’s story—to Krypton and its inhabitants—was an opportunity for director Zack Snyder and production designer Alex McDowell to “world build,” to create from scratch a fantastical yet logical imaginary world. Their goal was for audiences to become so immersed in this new environment that they never once question its reality, and are never drawn out of the movie by the unfamiliarity of the surroundings before them.  McDowell states, “You’re designing a space that has to contain a complex narrative, building a history that will reverberate throughout the story.  And it has to follow rules, rules that will drive the world forward.”

            The filmmakers envisioned a planet on the eve of collapse, a place whose leaders had surrendered to the inevitable and turned inward, their inertia allowing their culture to decay along with the land.  Light years ahead of Earth in their technology, they nevertheless had exhausted their resources, the mining of Krypton’s core for energy having been the last insult the planet could bear.

            These two key premises—the exhaustion of resources and an organic basis to their technology—became the foundation upon which the story of Krypton was built.  “The planet has been mined for its resources,” McDowell expounds.  “They’ve denuded the surface and gone underground, building a city inside a protected space.  The surface is furrowed and they’ve carved through to caverns well below ground.  So, we designed their architecture and technology to have an organic feel.  Nothing is sculpted in the manner that we understand; there are no straight lines whatsoever on Krypton.”

            The challenge was how to build the sets from what became “probably the most complex set of construction drawings that have ever been issued from an art department,” laughs McDowell.  The task became literally too much for the computers, and the designers had to revert back to sculpting out of foam and scanning those back in.  Most interestingly, perhaps, was the use of CNC (Computer Numerical Control) drilling to carve out the hundreds of individual wooden “ribs” that form the skeleton of Krypton.  To carve these out by hand would have been prohibitively time-consuming, yet building entire sets using CNC would have been equally so.  What resulted was a marriage of traditional craftsmanship and cutting-edge technology: CNC-built ribs pieced together by expert ship builders, then hand-lathed and plastered by the construction crew, and finally painted by set artists.  

“We couldn’t do it traditionally,” McDowell recalls, “but neither could we build all of this out of the computer.  Every step of the way, we had to make very refined decisions about which side of the line we were falling on between digital technology and classical methodology—we were breaking new ground.  A great deal went into creating these massive standing sets that allowed us to do so much in-camera.”  Even the much smaller elements of architecture and props were created using a blend of sculpture and rapid prototyping or 3D printing technologies, so that complex computer-sculpted objects could exist in-camera and tangibly support the actors’ performances.

            For moviegoers paying close attention, there is another dimension of Kryptonian culture on the walls of this alien world: an entirely new language.  It all started with Superman’s glyph, which stands for “hope,” and that led to a series of forty or fifty glyphs representing the other houses of Krypton and, in turn, other abstract ideas.  Serendipity intervened when McDowell, while readying sets in Vancouver, Canada, came across a newspaper story on a University of British Columbia linguist, Dr. Christine Schreyer, who was using the fictional Klingon and Na’vi dialects to teach her students how to understand lost languages.  The linguist explained to the filmmakers the basic rules for the development of language, one key rule being cultural emphasis.  For example, in English culture, the focus is on the individual, so it is “I want an apple.”  Krypton, the filmmakers decided, was object-oriented, so in this case it became “apple I want,” putting the object first.  That set in motion the rules for the Kryptonian language.  Within a short time and with Schreyer’s help, over 300 words and full phrases had been developed, and then the team returned to writer David Goyer and the Superman canon.  Looking for key phrases, they then began assigning those to the ancient engraved surfaces of robots and swords and flying creatures, and so on.

McDowell notes that creating a language was indicative of the kind of world-building process that he cherishes.  “Each one of those details, like the fact that the ‘S’ in a shield exists on the chest of a Super Hero from another planet, becomes a problem you have to solve.  It opens up layers and layers of questions that give us a way into the world.”

            Resurrecting a “lost” language is fitting, considering that loss is the unifying theme of all things Krypton: lost loved ones, lost culture, lost opportunities and a lost technological edge.  This is reflected not only in the barren landscape and crumbling edifices of Krypton, but also in the ancient fleet of ships seen in the film, such as The Black Zero, initially a mothballed Colony ship commissioned back into service as a penitentiary; and the Scout ship, left in a patch of frozen Arctic on Earth when the ship failed in its mission.

The Black Zero—a huge, organically shaped tripod structure built to house thousands of refugees and attached to a gigantic Phantom Projector capable of catapulting the ship into the Phantom Zone—resembles, as McDowell puts it, “a few people hitching a ride on an enormous engine.” 

            In contrast to Zod’s dirty but functional fleet is the still pristine Scout ship, which resembles a seed pod, a metaphor for its role in finding new and hospitable worlds for the Kryptonians to propagate.  Linked to the house of El in its design, it reflects the softer, gentler approach to colonization, as personified by Jor-El.

            “Man of Steel,” however, is not only concerned with this fantastical, fictional world of Krypton, but about Earth, its beauty and its emotional hold on Clark Kent.  Synder was determined to use practical locations as much as possible.  By eschewing a stylized vision, Snyder wanted instead to pull the audience into Clark’s world and invite them to share in his experiences.  Shooting took the crew to a diverse list of locations, from the small town of Plano, Illinois, to the big city of Chicago.  They also ventured to the glaciers of British Columbia, boarding a real crab boat, called the Debbie Sue, off Ucluelet, Vancouver Island—for a scene in which they were pounded by 35-foot waves.  On the other extreme, they went to California’s Mojave Desert, where they had the privilege to film at Edwards Air Force Base.  At each location, as much as possible was shot in situ, rather than building mattes or adding green screen.

In Chicago, McDowell’s team transformed an entire floor of the old Sears Tower, what’s now the Willis Tower, into the Daily Planet offices, and used 111 East Wacker in Chicago for some of the Metropolis exteriors.  The building was designed in the 1950s by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, and is considered one of his classics.

            One demanding sequence involved the rerouting of 40,000 cars per day for the freeway overpass scene.  “Normally when you do that kind of scene, you’re looking for a place that is already closed for some reason,” supervising location manager Bill Doyle relates.  “Usually it’s under construction and you can deal directly with the contractor.  But to close a working expressway takes months of planning and SCAT (Signal Coordination and Timing) studies, and getting permission is difficult.  But once we had the Illinois State Patrol on board it was much easier and, I think, extremely successful.  We picked that spot because we needed cornfields and an overpass all in one place, and there was nothing else like it within three-and-a-half hours of Chicago.”

            One of the more critical locations was the small city of Plano, Illinois, which would serve as Clark’s hometown of Smallville.  Deborah Snyder recalls, “Plano just really embraced us.  They let us shut down their town and turn it into a backlot.  We worked with their police and fire departments, and a lot of the townspeople worked security for us.  It was such a warm, welcoming community.”

The town was the ideal foundation upon which to build the rest of Smallville.  “In a way, Smallville represents Clark’s innocence,” Goyer says.  “It’s the human side of him, a physical manifestation of his Earth heritage and a safe haven.  Unlike so much in his life, it’s uncomplicated.  It’s home.”

            Gaps between buildings in Plano were filled with facades for a Sears, a 7-Eleven and an IHOP, instantly identifiable symbols of true Americana.  Twenty minutes outside of the town, a farm was planted with corn, and upon its idyllic rolling hills, the crew constructed the Kent farmhouse.

            “The Kent family farm also served to ground the film in a contemporary reality that humanizes Clark and, at the same time, brings home the economic crisis with a contrast between the young Clark’s home and the one he returns to as an adult, decaying and in foreclosure,” McDowell notes.

            The support of Plano was particularly important to the filmmakers because of the story’s need for numerous stunts involving explosions, flying fragments and low-lying flight sequences—using real military aircraft—that occur in Smallville.  Plano, as Doyle puts it, essentially allowed the production “to do all kinds of crazy things.”

            Things that, without the support of the Department of Defense, would have been impossible to achieve in-camera.  The DOD supplied the production with junked aircraft pieces to serve as debris; piloted jets, helicopters, and a cargo plane; technical advisors; and almost 300 soldiers as extras.

Moving to California, they were also grateful for the cooperation they were given by Edwards Air Force Base for additional scenes and training for the actors.  Filming on a working Air Force base was the experience of a lifetime for the cast and crew, for whom it was likely the only time they would ever encounter a C17 cargo plane or F35 fighter jet up close and personal.

“We had a wonderful time working with them,” raves co-producer Wes Coller, “coming up with ideas of how one might respond to a threat such as the one that we face in the film.  It was interesting to play in their sandbox, and on such an elite level.  To have been at Edwards Air Force Base where so much history lives and so many notable things have happened was amazing.  We were lucky to have been welcomed with such open arms.”

“I don’t think that we could have done this film without them,” Roven concurs.  “They were great, not only in allowing us the use of their incredible assets but in making sure that what we were doing was credible and correct. It just added to the realism that we were dedicated to in this film.”

            Part of that realism was also achieved by the almost exclusive reliance on a handheld camera, unprecedented in a film of this size and scope.  Zack Snyder collaborated with cinematographer Amir Mokri to combine elements reflective of a gritty, embedded journalistic documentary style.   The use of lenses not usually associated with handheld work, as well as the use of special rigs and dollies, bridged the gap between the immediacy of the Steadicam and the sleekness of a traditionally shot big action film.

            The actors also appreciated the more intimate camera work.  “I quite liked the camera not being so rigid,” Cavill reflects.  “Nothing was off limits as far as the performance was concerned; it lent a freedom to the acting, which was great.”

            One of the most important aspects of putting Superman on film involves special and visual effects, considering there is little Superman can do that is not an effect in some form.  But the director, who has built strong relationships with second unit director/stunt coordinator Damon Caro and visual effects supervisor John “DJ” DesJardin, felt confident his team could pull it off.  “We just take challenges as they come now,” Snyder says.  “We knew this was a broader challenge conceptually, because Superman can’t do anything that’s not at least partially achieved in post.  He can’t be flown on a wire.  We did put Henry on wires to get perspective shots and various angles, but not to fly him, because the flight pattern of the modern movie Super Hero will not support that concept.”

The director continues, “And then there was all the subtle cape action that had to happen.  There were a trillion decisions that we had to make on every little move.  Having Damon and DJ working with me on that was invaluable.  We have a shorthand, and we’re all interested in making the coolest movie we can.”



IF THE SUIT FITS…

LOIS
What’s the ‘S’ stand for?

CLARK/KAL-EL
It’s not an ‘S.’  In my world, it means ‘hope.’

LOIS
Well here, it’s an ‘S.’

The S-shield, perhaps the most instantly recognized family crest in history, has long represented the strength and courage of the Super Hero who proudly bears it on his chest.  Originally standing for Superman, the “S” has since become the heraldic symbol of the house of El, and stands for “hope.”  Similarly, Krypton’s council members bear their own glyphs, as does Zod and other members of the Kryptonian elite.  The glyphs all have origins in Kryptonian history and are not based on any Earthly symbology.

For costume designers James Acheson and Michael Wilkinson, modernizing the glyph and suit were two of the most exciting challenges they faced.  They approached the task with both respect and fearlessness, despite how widely identifiable they are.  And, of equal importance in serving the film, they were fully integrated into the aesthetic and heritage of the rest of the Kryptonian universe Snyder and his production team had created.

Detailing the evolution of the suit, Wilkinson states, “Rather than the traditional explanation that the suit was made from the cloth his parents wrapped him in when he was sent off from Krypton, we establish it as a foundation, the under garment all Kryptonians wear as a protective layer.  On Krypton, therefore, when we see Jor-El or the council members or the soldiers, they all have the same type of suit under various layers of robes and armor, and each bearing the glyph of his or her own family line.”

            With the origin of the suit established, it was left to the designers to incorporate what the world knows as the “Superman suit” into the backstory they had devised.  Initial conceptualizing began with Acheson and his team of illustrators drawing dozens of versions of the suit, with the red shorts getting smaller and smaller until one day they were just no longer there.  The process was completed with Wilkinson’s brilliant designs illustrated by Keith Christensen and Warren Manser.  After several months of development and numerous prototypes, they felt they had found a suit that took the essential elements and modernized them, taking advantage of all that today’s technology has to offer: 3D digital body scans, computer design, and the latest in fabrics.

            Taking the suit, and those of the other Kryptonians, from design to reality was a bit more complicated.  For example, based on the body scans they took of Cavill, Wilkinson’s team made a full-size replica and added body sculpting, giving them the makings of the under-suit.  This was comprised of foam latex with a brilliant chrome finish applied to the stretchy bodysuit.  The complex over-suit was then made from a special mesh material, to which was applied a custom print technique to simulate a chain mail design which, when worn over the under suit, effected a metallic look that photographed beautifully.  The computer-generated “S” glyph was produced via a 3D drawing program and 3D printer.
Despite the high tech design and production process involved, Snyder assures, “He has a red cape, he has an ‘S’ on his chest, he has a blue suit and red boots.  He’s Superman.”

            In fact, it is established early on that Krypton is a cape-wearing society, though the remainder of Krypton’s vestments are not so colorful: Jor-El wears a very dark gray-blue, and Zod wears black, subtle hints at the darkness their home has plunged into at the hands of its people.  The planet’s grand council, Wilkinson says, is “weighed down by history, holding on to cultural restraints that prevent looking at new solutions to problems.”

So, in their heavy robes we see, literally, the weight of their world and the grandeur that once was, but no longer exists.  “We created our own fabrics to convey this sense of alien textures—we etched into velvets, embroidered and screen-printed over materials to achieve raised textures and, hopefully, a sense of a grand culture that was once very sophisticated but has long since gone into decline,” he adds.

            On Earth, Clark’s need to disappear into the background is reflected in his clothing.  “He also wears many layers,” Wilkinson says.  “He has his hood down low.  He has a beard.  He blends in with the rest of the world.  There are glimpses of something greater, but it is not until he puts on the Superman suit that we see the beginning of his transformation.  That’s a whole different silhouette and it really affects how he moves, and you can see that, indeed, he is not like any other guy.”

BECOMING SUPERMAN

JONATHAN KENT
You’re not just anyone… You’re going to have to decide
what kind of man you want to grow up to be.  Whoever that man is,
good character or bad, he’s going to change the world.

            To develop the physique the role required, Henry Cavill engaged in months of training with Mark Twight of Gym Jones.  Twight, who first worked with Zack Snyder on “300,” recalls, “Zack came to me and said, ‘I’ve got another project and it’s probably going to be harder than the first one.  I need you to make somebody look like Superman.’”

The very idea, Twight admits, “scared the daylights out of me.  But Zack brought me someone who was willing to put in the work.  Fitness is not just physical strength and conditioning, it’s also strength of character.  It’s committing all of your available resources to the achievement of an objective.  Only if expectations are higher can achievements be higher.”

Incorporating a combination of various transferable functional training techniques, Twight and his team, including trainer Michael Blevins, were able to work with the actor to attain the skills, strength and confidence he needed to perform wire work, fight scenes and stunts.

“Once he realized he could dead-lift more than two times his body weight, he believed,” Twight says.  “Henry achieved a level of discipline and a physical capacity that was outstanding.”  Most importantly, Cavill reached his goals—and added 15 pounds of muscle to his frame—with nothing more than hard work and discipline.  “Henry said he wanted to look the same outside the suit as he did when he was wearing it,” Twight adds.  “He didn’t even need body makeup for those scenes where he had his shirt off because he had done the work and he wanted that work to show.”

            “The training was a genuine discovery,” Cavill remarks.  “I learned I could do all sorts of things that I never thought possible.  Mark kept things constantly evolving and opened my eyes to seeing past what I thought were my limits.  He had the ability to crush me, but just enough that I couldn’t walk properly and I felt horrible and a little sick…but I still wanted to come back,” he smiles.  The intense training led to what Cavill calls a “recognition moment,” during which “you think, okay, I can do this.  It’s not going to kill me, for one.  And two, I’m in safe hands.  And three, I’m actually enjoying it.  Yeah, it hurt.  It was excruciating.  But I liked pushing past that point to where you realize your body is actually more than capable of doing it.  The moment when that happens is wonderful.”

            In this revelation, Twight sees parallels between the character and the actor.  “Superman’s is a story of self-discovery.  Henry’s journey was quite similar in a way.  He discovered his capacity and the confidence that comes with being physically capable and knowing how to produce whatever result in his body he wants.”

            Roven adds, “Henry completely metamorphosed his body.  He already had a great physique, but he really turned it into something super for this film.”

CREATING A SUPER SCORE

CLARK/KAL-EL
My father believed that if the world found out who I really was, they’d reject me.
He was convinced that the world wasn’t ready.
What do you think?

            Composing the music for an epic Super Hero action adventure movie can be a daunting task, but Hans Zimmer is more than well versed in the genre, having most recently scored Christopher Nolan’s “Dark Knight” trilogy.  “Man of Steel” marks his first time collaborating with director Zack Snyder.

            “Superman is so iconographic throughout the world, so the challenge of creating a film score for such a revered figure could seem overwhelming,” Snyder says, “but not to Hans.”

            Zimmer quickly picked up and ran with the imagery of the film, beginning with the vastness of the land in the American Midwest, where Clark Kent grew up.  “I immediately had this idea of endlessness, the sound of infinity, combined with the sound of flying,” he remembers, “and from there I kept hearing pedal steel guitars, an archetypal American instrument, in lieu of a traditional string section.  And I wanted to use them in an atypical way.”  He brought eight prominent pedal steel players together—Chas Smith, Marty Rifkin, Skip Edwards, Boo Bernstein, Peter Frieberger, Rick Schmidt, JD Maness and John McClung—to perform classical string parts.

            Zimmer also assembled some of the finest drummers in the world, which he called his “drum orchestra,” playing on everything from rock drum kits to tympanis and field drums.  The elite group included such top percussionists as John JR Robinson, Jason Bonham, Josh Freese, Pharrell Williams, Danny Carey, Satnam Ramgotra, Toss Panos, Jim Keltner, Curt Bisquera, Trevor Lawrence Jr., Matt Chamberlain, Ryeland Allison, Bernie Dresel, Vinnie Colaiuta and Sheila E.

            “It seems that with each movie I work on,” Zimmer reflects, “the story inspires me to do something out of the ordinary, and ‘Man of Steel’ was no different.”

            Snyder states, “I think what he has done for ‘Man of Steel’ is, in a word, perfect.  Stirring, commanding, and subtly weaving through the story, adding just the right tone to take us on this journey.”

Though the Man of Steel has graced the pages of comics and the small and big screens in various incarnations for over 75 years, his values have remained constant, serving as a beacon in an ever-changing and increasingly complex world. 

Cavill admits he did not fully comprehend the extraordinary responsibility he took on in playing the role of the world’s most recognizable Super Hero until one day in Plano, when he met several Superman fans watching them film.  “Their interest, and interaction with me, were enormously flattering, but also made me understand how important it is to them that I do justice to this character,” he relates.  “I had always held the role in very high regard, but that day really instilled in me the value of the choice I’d made, and I was so honored.  Thankfully, I really believe we’ve stayed true to the Superman the fans expect, but brought him into our modern times, and I hope they’ll really enjoy the result.”

“Superman belongs to all of us,” Snyder concludes.  “He represents the ultimate hero, and a celebration of Super Hero culture by encompassing all the incredibly cool attributes that inspire us—flight, speed, strength—and the best of humanity, like the importance of family, however you define that, and our need for love and a sense of belonging in the world.  That is why, amidst all the awesome visuals, the intense battles, the problems of the planet that he takes on on our behalf, we want him to win: because he’s true, because he has a good heart and pure intentions.  We want him to choose us, because we want to be the best that we can be, just like him.”

#          #          #




ABOUT THE CAST


HENRY CAVILL (Clark Kent/Kal-El) has made an impact on both the big and small screens. 

Born in the United Kingdom, he made his feature film debut in Kevin Reynolds’ “The Count of Monte Cristo.”  He went on to star in Reynolds’ romance “Tristan + Isolde,” with James Franco and Sophia Myles, and in Matthew Vaughn’s fantasy adventure “Stardust,” alongside Claire Danes, Michelle Pfeiffer and Robert De Niro.

Cavill next starred in director Woody Allen’s comedy “Whatever Works,” and, most recently, in the mythological actioner “Immortals,” under the direction of Tarsem Singh.
On television, Cavill starred on the popular Showtime series “The Tudors” for four seasons.

AMY ADAMS (Lois Lane) is a four-time Oscar® nominee, whose impressive body of work ranges from major studio hits to acclaimed independent features. 

            She earned her most recent Oscar® nod for her performance in Paul Thomas Anderson’s 2012 drama “The Master,” for which she also received Golden Globe and BAFTA Award nominations.  She also won several critics groups awards, including the Los Angeles Film Critics and National Society of Film Critics Awards.

Following “Man of Steel,” Adams stars in a number of diverse films, including the near-future drama “Her,” for director Spike Jonze; David O. Russell’s “American Hustle”; and Tim Burton’s “Big Eyes,” in which she portrays artist Margaret Keane, opposite Christoph Waltz.  In addition, she is set to produce and star in “Object of Beauty,” based on the book by Steve Martin.

            Adams earned her first Oscar® nomination for her performance in the 2005 indie film “Junebug.”  In addition, she garnered a Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Award® nomination and won an Independent Spirit Award, as well as a number of critics group awards for her work in that film.

She gained her second Oscar® nomination for her role in John Patrick Shanley’s 2008 thought-provoking drama “Doubt,” in which she starred with Meryl Streep and Philip Seymour Hoffman.  Adams’ performance in the film as the conflicted Sister James also brought her Golden Globe, BAFTA Award and SAG Award® nominations.

Adams’ third Oscar® nomination came for her work in David O. Russell’s true-life drama “The Fighter,” in which she starred with Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale.  For her portrayal of the tougher-than-she-looks bartender, Charlene, she was also recognized with Golden Globe, BAFTA Award, and Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Award® nominations.

In 2007, she delighted critics and moviegoers in Kevin Lima’s musical hit “Enchanted,” earning a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical for her performance as the displaced, would-be fairy tale princess, Giselle. 

Adams had first caught the attention of critics and audiences when she co-starred with Leonardo DiCaprio in Steven Spielberg’s fact-based drama “Catch Me If You Can.”  Among her other film credits are Adam McKay’s “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby,” with Will Ferrell; Mike Nichols’ “Charlie Wilson’s War,” with Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts; “Sunshine Cleaning”; “Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day”; “Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian,” with Ben Stiller; Nora Ephron’s “Julie & Julia,” with Meryl Streep; the family hit “The Muppets”; “Leap Year”; and Clint Eastwood’s “Trouble with the Curve,” opposite Eastwood and Justin Timberlake.

            On the stage, Adams starred last summer in the Public Theatre’s revival of the award-winning musical “Into the Woods,” a presentation of Shakespeare in the Park, at the Delacorte Theater.

MICHAEL SHANNON (General Zod) received an Academy Award® nomination for his performance in Sam Mendes’ “Revolutionary Road,” based on the novel by Richard Yates, adapted by Justin Haythe, and starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet and Kathy Bates.  He most recently starred in Ariel Vroman’s crime drama “The Iceman,” and also recently appeared in the critically acclaimed drama “Mud,” alongside Matthew McConaughey.

Shannon also starred in Floria Sigismondi's “The Runaways,” opposite Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning; in Gela Babluani's “13,” with Mickey Rourke; in Jeff Nichols’ “Take Shelter” and “Shotgun Stories”; in “The Broken Tower,” written, directed by and starring James Franco; and alongside Gerard Butler in “Machine Gun Preacher.”

            In his more than 40 feature films, Shannon has worked with such prestigious directors as Werner Herzog in “My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done” and “Bad Lieutenant”; Sydney Lumet on “Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead”; Oliver Stone in “World Trade Center”; William Friedkin on “Bug”; Curtis Hanson on “Lucky You” and “8 Mile”; Michael Bay on “Bad Boys II” and “Pearl Harbor”; David McNally on “Kangaroo Jack”; Cameron Crowe on “Vanilla Sky”; and John Waters in “Cecil B. DeMented.”

            On the small screen, he stars in the hit HBO series “Boardwalk Empire,” the cast of which has been honored with a Screen Actors Guild Award® for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series two years in a row, in 2011 and 2012.

KEVIN COSTNER (Jonathan Kent) is a two-time Academy Award®-winning filmmaker, winning both Best Picture and Best Director for his directorial debut, “Dances with Wolves,” which garnered seven total Oscars®, including a Best Actor nomination for Costner.  For his work on the film, he also won the Golden Globe for Best Director and the Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures.        

Throughout his career, Costner has varied his choices with comedy, action and dramatic roles.  He has appeared in such popular box-office hits as “No Way Out,” “Bull Durham,” “Field of Dreams,” “The Bodyguard” and “Wyatt Earp.”  He has also appeared in memorable roles in “JFK,” “The Untouchables” and “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves,” and re-teamed with his “Bull Durham” director, Ron Shelton, for the hit feature “Tin Cup.”

Costner also starred in “Thirteen Days,” successfully collaborating again with his “No Way Out” director, Roger Donaldson.  His other film credits include “The Company Men,” “For Love of the Game,” “The War,” “3,000 Miles to Graceland,” “Dragonfly,” “The Upside of Anger,” “Rumor Has It,” “The Guardian,” “Mr. Brooks,” “Swing Vote,” “The New Daughter,” and “The Postman,” his second directing effort.  Costner last directed the box office hit and critically acclaimed film “Open Range,” in which he also co-starred alongside Robert Duvall and Annette Bening.  He began his acting career in independent films, his first major motion picture being the coming-of-age comedy “Fandango.”

Costner was most recently seen on the small screen in the History Channel’s record-setting miniseries “Hatfields & McCoys,” in which he portrayed “Devil” Anse Hatfield, the patriarch of the famed clan, opposite Bill Paxton.  Costner also served as a producer of the series, which received 16 Emmy Award nominations, with five wins, including Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie for Costner.  He also received the Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Awards® for his performance.

He will next be seen in the revival of Tom Clancy’s “Jack Ryan” franchise, opposite Chris Pine, and in “Three Days to Kill,” a thriller from director McG.

When Costner is not working on films, he sings lead vocals and plays lead guitar in his band, Modern West, and can be seen playing venues across the country.  The band recorded a collection of songs Inspired by “Hatfields & McCoys” for an album entitled Famous For Killing Each Other, featuring the song “These Hills.”  Their song “The Angels Came Down,” from their album Turn It On, was adopted by the Gold Star Moms and Gold Star Wives organizations, which support the mothers, wives and families of fallen soldiers.

DIANE LANE (Martha Kent) has garnered Screen Actors Guild® (SAG), Golden Globe and Oscar® nominations for her work, and recently earned excellent reviews for her performance in Tennessee Williams’ “Sweet Bird of Youth” at the Goodman Theater in Chicago.  Previously, she received an Emmy Award nomination for her leading role in HBO’s well-reviewed and prestigious movie “Cinema Verite,” co-starring James Gandolfini and Tim Robbins.  Before that, Lane starred opposite John Malkovich in “Secretariat,” directed by Randall Wallace.

Lane was hailed as Best Actress in 2002 by the New York Film Critics and National Society of Film Critics and received an Academy Award® nomination for her turn as an adulterous wife in the critically acclaimed Adrian Lyne film “Unfaithful.”  Lane’s lengthy filmography includes four films with Francis Ford Coppola; George C. Wolfe’s “Nights in Rodanthe,” opposite Richard Gere; Allen Coulter's 1950s era “Hollywoodland,” with Ben Affleck and Adrien Brody; the comedy “Must Love Dogs,” with John Cusack and Christopher Plummer; the drama “A Walk on the Moon,” which landed Lane an Independent Spirit Award nomination; the Audrey Wells romantic comedy “Under the Tuscan Sun,” earning her a Golden Globe Award nomination; Wolfgang Petersen’s action film “The Perfect Storm,” opposite Mark Wahlberg and George Clooney; the highly successful adaptation of Willie Morris’s childhood memoir “My Dog Skip”; and her portrayal of actress Paulette Goddard in “Chaplin,” for director Sir Richard Attenborough.

On television, Lane has appeared in a wide range of projects, including “A Streetcar Named Desire,” opposite Alec Baldwin and Jessica Lange; her Emmy-nominated role as Lorena in the CBS series “Lonesome Dove,” opposite Robert Duvall; and TNT’s “The Virginian” with Bill Pullman.  She also starred opposite Gena Rowlands in the Hallmark Hall of Fame drama “Grace & Glorie,” and in the CBS epic miniseries “The Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All,” based on the best-selling novel by Allan Gurganus, with Donald Sutherland and Cicely Tyson.  Sharing her character with the venerable Anne Bancroft, Lane portrayed the title character from her early teens into her sixties.

The daughter of drama coach Burt Lane and singer Colleen Farrington, Lane answered a call for child actors at La Mama Experimental Theater at the age of six.  She won a role in Andrei Serbian’s famously primal version of Eurepidis’ Greek “Medea,” and subsequently appeared over the next five years in his productions of “Electra,” “The Trojan Women,” “The Good Woman of Szechuan” and “As You Like It,” both in New York and touring theater festivals around the world with La Mama.  After performing in Joseph Papp’s productions of “The Cherry Orchard” and “Agamemnon” at Lincoln Center in 1976 and `77, Lane starred at The Public Theater in “Runaways,” and made her film debut opposite Sir Laurence Olivier in George Roy Hill’s “A Little Romance” in 1978.

Lane is an ambassador for Neutrogena®, a worldwide leader in the development of highly effective, dermatologist-recommended skincare and cosmetics.  Her focus has lately included Heifer International, Oceana, and Half the Sky Movement.

LAURENCE FISHBURNE (Perry White) has achieved an impressive body of work not only as an actor but as a producer and director.  In 1992, he won a Tony, a Drama Desk Award, an Outer Critic's Circle Award and a Theater World Award for his portrayal of Sterling Johnson in August Wilson's "Two Trains Running." His appearance in the 1993 premiere episode of Fox TV's "Tribeca" landed him an Emmy Award.  And to complete the triple crown, he was nominated for a 1993 Oscar® for his portrayal of Ike Turner in “What's Love Got to Do with It.”

Fishburne just received another Emmy nomination for his portrayal of Thurgood Marshall in the HBO adaptation of his one-man show, “Thurgood.”  He originated the role in the 2008 Broadway debut of the play, earning a Tony Award nomination for Best Actor and winning Drama Desk and Outer Critics’ Circle Awards.  In 2010, he reprised the role at Los Angeles’ Geffen Playhouse and the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC.

Fishburne’s recent screen credits include the sci-fi thrillers “The Colony,” from Jeff Renfroe, “Contagion,” from director Steven Soderbergh, and also “Predators” and the heist film “Armored,” both for director Nimród Antal.  In 2008, he joined the cast of the CBS hit primetime show "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" and signed a first-look production deal, via his Cinema Gypsy Productions, with CBS Paramount Network Television. Cinema Gypsy film credits include “Akeelah and the Bee,” “Five Fingers” and “Once in the Life.”  Also in 2008, Fishburne was seen in the box office success “21,” alongside Kevin Spacey.  He has also signed to star in, direct and produce “The Alchemist,” currently in development.  He can currently be seen in the hit NBC crime drama “Hannibal.”

In 2006, Fishburne reunited with his “What’s Love Got to Do with It” co-star Angela Bassett in “Akeelah & the Bee,” a performance that earned him a Best Actor Award at the 2006 Black Movie Awards. The film swept the show with three other wins, including Best Picture.  Immediately following, he co-starred in ”Mission Impossible III,” and  the acclaimed indie “Bobby,” for which he shared a Screen Actors Guild Award® nomination for Best Ensemble Cast.

On stage in 2006, Fishburne starred in Alfred Uhry’s drama “Without Walls,” directed by Christopher Ashley, at the Center Theatre Group’s Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles and was awarded Best Actor at the 17th Annual NAACP Theater Awards. He then starred opposite Angela Bassett at The Pasadena Playhouse in August Wilson’s “Fences,” breaking the Playhouse sales record with a sold-out run.

In 2005, he starred in “Assault on Precinct 13,” and, previous to that, was an integral part of the box-office sensations “The Matrix,” “The Matrix: Reloaded” and “The Matrix: Revolutions.”  He also appeared in Clint Eastwood’s critically acclaimed “Mystic River” and in “Biker Boyz.”

            In 2000, Laurence made his directorial debut, in addition to starring in and producing “Once in the Life.”  The screenplay, which he wrote, was based on the one-act play “Riff Raff,” in which Fishburne starred, wrote, and directed in 1994 and which received critical praise and was later brought to New York's Circle Rep Theater.  Its initial Los Angeles run was the first production under his L.O.A. Productions banner.

            In 1999 he appeared at the Roundabout Theater on Broadway as Henry II in “The Lion in Winter.” In addition, he starred in and executive produced “Always Outnumbered,” directed by Michael Apted for HBO. In 1997, Fishburne received an Emmy nomination and an NAACP Image Award for his starring role in the HBO drama “Miss Evers’ Boys,” which he executive produced.  Based on the true story of the controversial Tuskegee  medical study, “Miss Evers’ Boys” was awarded five Emmys, including Outstanding Made for Television Movie and the coveted President’s Award, which honors a program that illuminates a social or educational issue.

Fishburne’s extensive film credits include Paul Anderson’s “Event Horizon”; Bill Duke’s “Hoodlum,” which he starred in and produced; the action-comedy “Fled”; “Othello,” making him the first African American to play the Moor in a major screen release; the original HBO film “Tuskegee Airmen,” for which he received an NAACP Image Award as well as Golden Globe, Emmy and CableACE nominations; “Bad Company”; John Singleton’s “Boyz in the Hood” and “Higher Learning,” which earned him an NAACP Image Award; “Searching for Bobby Fischer”; “Deep Cover”; “Just Cause”; and Steven Spielberg’s Oscar®nominated “The Color Purple.” 

            Fishburne has been acting since he was 10, starting on "One Life to Live," before making his feature film debut at age 12 in “Cornbread, Earl and Me.”  At 14, he was cast in a show for the Negro Ensemble Theater and accepted to the High School of Performing Arts and, at 15, appeared in the epic “Apocalypse Now.”  Following that, he continued to rack up impressive credits, including the features “Class Action,” “King of New York,” “Red Heat,” “Nightmare on Elm Street 3,” “Cotton Club” and “Rumble Fish,” and the telefilms "Decoration Day,” “For Us the Living” and “Rumor of War.” 

            Fishburne serves as an Ambassador for UNICEF.  In 2007, he was honored by Harvard University with an Artist of the Year Award for his outstanding contributions to American and International Performing Arts, as well as his humanitarian contributions.

ANTJE TRAUE (Faora-Ul) already had a strong body of work in her native Germany when she broke out into the international marketplace in the science fiction film “Pandorum,” where she played the lead opposite Ben Foster and Dennis Quaid.

After “Man of Steel,” Traue will be seen in the fantasy action adventure “Seventh Son,” in which she stars as the witch Bony Lizzie, alongside Jeff Bridges, Ben Barnes and Julianne Moore.  The film is directed by Sergei Bodrov and based on the popular book series The Last Apprentice, by John Delaney.

In 2012, she starred in the independent “Nobel’s Last Will,” and was recently seen in theaters starring opposite Val Kilmer and Rupert Friend in Renny Harlin’s “5 Days of War.” 

As a teenager, Traue attended the International Munich Art Lab, where she was cast in the lead role in the theatre play “West End Opera.”  For four years she toured with the ensemble cast throughout Europe and then to New York.  In 2002, Traue moved to Berlin and landed roles in feature films and television projects, including “Kleinruppin Forever,” Berlin am Meer” and “Phantomschmerz.”

Presently Traue splits her time between Berlin and Los Angeles.

AYELET ZURER (Lara Lor-Van) is a prolific and talented actress who has made tremendous achievements both at home in Israel, and also Stateside, where she has worked with such major directors as Steven Spielberg, Lawrence Kasdan and Ron Howard.  She has been nominated for awards at the Jerusalem Film Festival, the Israeli Academy Awards and the Israeli Television Academy Awards, and has won Best Actress awards for her roles in the Israeli film “Nina’s Tragedies and the HBO series “Betipul.”

Zurer was born and raised in Tel Aviv.  After completing her military service in the Israel Defense Forces, she moved to the United States to pursue a Hollywood career, and then moved back to Israel in 1991.  She starred in the television series “Inyan Shel Zman” and in the Israeli film “Nikmato Shel Itzik Finkelstein.”  During this time she also acted in the cable television show “Yetziat Hirum.”  In 1997, Zurer starred in the television show “Florentine” on Israeli Channel 2.  She followed that up in 2000 with the Israeli television series “Zinzana,” and in 2002, the series “Shalva” and “Ha'Block.”

On the big screen, she played the lead in the 1998 film “Ahava Asura” (aka “The Dybbuk of the Holy Apple Field”), also starring Moshe Ivgy.  A few years later, she starred in the movies “Laila Lelo Lola” and “Kikar Ha'Halomot.”  She next starred in “Nina's Tragedies,” portraying the title character, in one of Zurer’s best known roles.  She won an Israeli Academy Award for Best Actress for this role.

In 2005, Zurer starred in the Israeli hit television series “Betipul,” a drama about a psychologist and his patients' therapy process.  Her work on the series won her a Best Actress award from the Israeli Television Academy; the show was later remade as the highly successful Emmy Award- and Golden Globe Award-winning HBO series “In Treatment.”  The following year, Zurer acted in an Israeli sketch comedy television show called “Gomrot Holchot,” which dealt with the world of young women: relationships, marriage, sex, career and so forth.  The show was based on the British sketch comedy show “Smack the Pony.”  Zurer made her first stateside television debut in NBC’s series “Awake,” and also appeared in Tim Kring’s “Touch,” with Kiefer Sutherland.

Zurer’s first international film role was in Steven Spielberg's “Munich,” which was nominated for an Academy Award® for Best Picture and in which she played opposite star Eric Bana.  She later played the role of an exotic terrorist in the American thriller “Vantage Point,” appearing alongside Dennis Quaid, William Hurt and Sigourney Weaver.  Her next international role was in Paul Schrader's “Adam Resurrected,” playing a nurse who falls in love with the title character, a disturbed Holocaust survivor played by Jeff Goldblum.  Prior to that, Zurer starred in “Fugitive Pieces,” the story of a boy who survives the Holocaust in Greece and becomes a troubled young adult who falls in love with her.
In 2009, Zurer played the female lead in “The Da Vinci Code” sequel, “Angels & Demons,” opposite Tom Hankes and under the direction of Ron Howard.  She then appeared in “Hide Away,” from director Chris Eyre, starring Josh Lucas, and in Lawrence Kasdan’s “Darling Companion,” with Diane Keaton and Kevin Kline.

CHRISTOPHER MELONI (Colonel Nathan Hardy), already one of Hollywood’s most successful television actors, also stars in a number of diverse feature films.  He most recently portrayed Leo Durocher in the hit drama “42,” about Jackie Robinson breaking Major League Baseball’s color line.
After the release of “Man of Steel,” Meloni next stars in “Small Time,” with Bridget Moynahan and Dean Norris, due for a limited release later this summer.  In October, he co-stars with Josh Brolin, Bruce Willis, Jessica Alba, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Eva Green, and Mickey Rourke in “Sin City: A Dame to Kill For,” the sequel to 2005’s screen adaptation of Frank Miller's highly regarded graphic novel.  He also has two other films slated for 2013/2014: “They Came Together,” directed by David Wain and also starring Paul Rudd, Amy Poehler, and Ed Helms; and “White Bird in a Blizzard,” based on the book of the same name by Laura Kasischke, with Shailene Woodley and Eva Green.

            The Washington, D.C. native studied acting at the University of Colorado - Boulder before graduating with a degree in History.  He worked in construction and as a bouncer before breaking into acting, studying his craft in New York with legendary teacher Sanford Meisner.  His television breakout role was on “NYPD Blue,” opposite Kim Delaney.  That led to being cast on HBO’s gritty series “Oz,” playing the psychotic, bisexual murderer Chris Keller, in an ensemble cast that also included J.K. Simmons, Lee Tergesen and Rita Moreno.

            In 1999, he landed his starring role on the popular and long-running NBC series “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” with Meloni working in both series simultaneously until “Oz” ended its run in 2003.  He continued on “Law & Order: SVU” for twelve seasons, earning an Emmy nomination for his performance as Detective Elliot Stabler.  Meloni returned to television last year for a major arc on HBO’s award-winning series “True Blood.”

            Meloni’s other big screen credits include the Terry Gilliam films “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” and “Twelve Monkeys”; the Wachowskis’ first film “Bound”; the romantic comedy “Runaway Bride,” with Richard Gere and Julia Roberts; “Nights in Rodanthe,” with Gere and Diane Lane; and such cult favorites as “Wet Hot American Summer,” “Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle,” and its first sequel, “Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay.”

            This coming television season, Meloni will play thte role of Jack in the new FOX comedy “Surviving Jack.”

RUSSELL CROWE (Jor-El) is an Academy Award® winner who is regarded as one of the finest actors of our time.  Crowe’s many acting honors include three consecutive Best Actor Oscar® nominations: for his work in the acclaimed 1999 drama “The Insider”; the 2000 Best Picture winner, “Gladiator,” for which he took home the Oscar®; and 2001’s Best Picture, “A Beautiful Mind.”  

In addition to the Academy Award®, Crowe’s performance as Maximus, the Roman general-turned-gladiator in Ridley Scott’s Gladiator,” earned him Best Actor honors from several critics’ organizations, including the Broadcast Film Critics and London Film Critics Circle.  He also received Golden Globe, BAFTA Award and Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Award® nominations.

The year prior, Crowe had gained his first Oscar® nomination for his portrayal of tobacco company whistle-blower Jeffrey Wigand in Michael Mann’s fact-based drama “The Insider.”  He was also named Best Actor by the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, Broadcast Film Critics Association, National Society of Film Critics and National Board of Review, and garnered Golden Globe, BAFTA Award and SAG® Award nominations.

Crowe’s masterful portrayal of Nobel Prize winner John Forbes Nash, Jr. in Ron Howard’s “A Beautiful Mind” brought him his third Oscar® nomination, as well as his third consecutive Critics’ Choice Award from the Broadcast Film Critics Association.  He also won Golden Globe, BAFTA and SAG Awards, and several other critics groups’ Best Actor Awards.  Reuniting with Howard in 2005, Crowe earned Golden Globe and SAG Award® nominations, and won an Australian Film Institute (AFI) Award, for his portrayal of Jim Braddock in “Cinderella Man.”  

Crowe most recently starred as Inspector Javert in Tom Hooper’s acclaimed screen adaptation of the beloved musical “Les Miserables,” and as Mayor Hostetler in Allen Hughes’ “Broken City.” 

Following “Man of Steel,” he stars in “Winter’s Tale,” directed by Akiva Goldsman, and in the title role of Darren Aronofsky’s epic “Noah.”

Born in New Zealand, Crowe was raised in Australia, where he was first honored for his work on the big screen and began gaining international attention.  He was recognized for three consecutive years by the AFI, starting in 1990, when he was nominated for Best Actor for “The Crossing.”  In 1991, he won the AFI’s Best Supporting Actor Award for “Proof.”  The following year, he received Best Actor Awards from the AFI and the Australian Film Critics for his performance in “Romper Stomper.”  Additionally, the 1993 Seattle International Film Festival named him Best Actor for his work in both “Romper Stomper” and “Hammers Over the Anvil.”

            Crowe made his American film debut in 1995 in Sam Raimi’s Western “The Quick and the Dead.”  He went on to earn acclaim for his role in Curtis Hanson’s crime drama “L.A. Confidential.”  His early film credits also include “Mystery, Alaska,” “Heaven’s Burning,” “Virtuosity,” “The Sum of Us,” “For the Moment,” “Love in Limbo,” “The Silver Brumby,” “The Efficiency Expert” and “Prisoners of the Sun.”

            He has since starred in a long and diverse list of films, including the Ridley Scott-directed projects “A Good Year,” “American Gangster,” “Body of Lies” and “Robin Hood.”  Among his other credits are Peter Weir’s “Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World,” for which Crowe earned a Golden Globe nomination; Taylor Hackford’s “Proof of Life”; “3:10 to Yuma,” with Christian Bale; Kevin Macdonald’s “State of Play,” with Ben Affleck; Paul Haggis’ “The Next Three Days”; and RZA’s “The Man with the Iron Fists.”







ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS


ZACK SNYDER (Director) is a filmmaker best known for his meticulous attention to detail and fine art aesthetic, bringing his unique and vivid style to each of his projects, as a director, writer and producer. He produces through his Warner Bros.-based shingle Cruel & Unusual Films, which he co-founded with wife and producing partner, Deborah Snyder. 

Currently, the Snyders’ company is in post-production on “300: Rise of an Empire,” directed by Noam Murro from a script Zack co-wrote with Kurt Johnstad and scheduled for release on March 7, 2014.  The film is another chapter of the “300” saga, following the 2007 blockbuster “300,” which Snyder wrote and directed.

Most recently, Snyder wrote, directed and produced “Sucker Punch,” an action fantasy that follows a young girl whose dream world provides the ultimate escape from her darker reality.  Released in March 2011, the film was Snyder’s first produced original story and featured an ensemble cast, including Emily Browning, Abbie Cornish, Jon Hamm, and Carla Gugino.

Snyder first made the jump to feature direction from the commercial and music video world with his inspired re-imagining of the George Romero classic “Dawn of the Dead.”  He then directed the groundbreaking action epic “300,” based on the graphic novel by Frank Miller and Lynn Varley.  Grossing more than $450 million worldwide, “300” established Snyder as one of the film industry’s most artistic and sought-after directors.  Snyder followed with the expertly crafted “Watchmen,” bringing the “unfilmable” graphic novel to the big screen in 2009.  He made his animation debut with the 2010 adventure “Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole,” based on the beloved books by Kathryn Lasky and featuring a voice cast that included Oscar® winners Helen Mirren and Geoffrey Rush.

Cruel & Unusual Films is presently developing a wide range of projects, including: “The Last Photograph,” from a story by Snyder and screenplay by Kurt Johnstad; “Army of the Dead,” an action-thriller written by Joby Harold, from an original story by Snyder; and “Illusions,” based on the novel by Richard Bach.

            CHARLES ROVEN (Producer) is a distinguished producer and leader in the entertainment industry for nearly three decades, and the founder of Atlas Entertainment. Through the years, Roven has built a reputation of creative collaboration and innovation, and has garnered international acclaim for his work in film, television, and music.  During his illustrious career as a producer, founder and board member on a number of major entertainment companies, Roven has helped generate billions of dollars in revenue.

Roven was a producer on Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy, “Batman Begins,” “The Dark Knight” and “The Dark Knight Rises,” which have collectively earned over $2.45 billion at the worldwide box office.  The films are among the most successful in the history of Warner Bros., breaking box-office records around the world and earning numerous accolades, including seven Academy Award® nominations and two wins; 12 BAFTA nominations and one win; as well as awards at the Golden Globes, the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards®, the Critics’ Choice Awards, the People’s Choice Awards and the AFI Awards, among others.

Roven’s involvement in branded, franchise properties began with the $275 million-plus worldwide box office hit “Scooby-Doo” and its sequel, “Scooby Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed.”  His distinguished credits also include blockbusters and critically acclaimed films such as the suspense thriller “The International”; “Get Smart,” inspired by the hit TV show; the critically acclaimed film “The Bank Job”; the highly acclaimed post-Gulf War tale “Three Kings”; the fantasy-romance “City of Angels”; “Fallen”; the Oscar®-nominated “Twelve Monkeys”; “Final Analysis”; and the supernatural action adventure “Season of the Witch.”  For his prolific contribution to film, Roven was honored with the ShoWest Producer of the Year Award, as well as Filmmaker of the Year at the Dubai International Film Festival in 2008.

Under the umbrella of Roven’s Atlas Entertainment lies Atlas Independent, which produces indie-minded movies with modest budgets, betting on the potential high profit margins of smaller films.  Atlas Independent produced “Revenge for Jolly!” which was released on May 7, 2013.  Atlas Independent also has the Gonzalo Lopez-Gallego-directed “Open Grave” in post-production.

Roven's success, however, is not limited to producing films.  In 1990, with partner Robert Cavallo, Roven co-founded Roven/Cavallo Entertainment (RCE), the predecessor to Atlas Entertainment, which in addition to producing films, guided the trajectories of some of the largest names in music, including multi-Grammy®-winning recording artists Green Day, Alanis Morissette, Seal, Goo Goo Dolls, Weezer, Savage Garden, LeAnn Rimes, All American Rejects, and Paula Abdul.  RCE fostered Morissette throughout her early career, including the release of her debut album Jagged Little Pill, which remains the best-selling album of all time by a female artist.  In 1993, the legendary Dawn Steel joined the venture and the RCE production banner was re-named Atlas Entertainment and its music management affiliate became Atlas/Third Rail Management.  Roven took the sole reins of Atlas Entertainment after an eight-year partnership with Cavallo in 1998, when Roven's Atlas Entertainment produced the $200 million fantasy-romance “City Of Angels.”  Atlas/Third Rail simultaneously packaged its soundtrack, which won three Grammy® Awards, yielding #1 singles for Atlas/Third Rail artists Alanis Morissette and the Goo Goo Dolls, also making the soundtrack the largest selling album of the year, earning ten platinum records. 

Roven went on to merge the Atlas Entertainment entities with the talent management group The Gold/Miller Company to form Mosaic Media Group (MMG), a company with unrivaled synergies.  The Gold/Miller Company's talent management clients included blockbuster comedians Ellen DeGeneres, Vince Vaughn, Jim Carrey, Will Ferrell, the Wayans family and Sacha Baron Cohen, as well as comedy directors Jay Roach, Judd Apatow, and Adam McKay. This merger came from the common desire of the principals to be part of a true multimedia company with the ability to package projects, fully exploit opportunities for their clients through a multi-platformed approach and acquire entertainment related media assets.  One of their first such ventures was MMG's strategic relationship with MP3.COM, which helped to launch music online and allowed MP3.COM to become one of the first internet media companies  with a successful IPO.

Roven, together with MMG president Allen Shapiro, also oversaw the acquisition of the venerable company Dick Clark Productions (DCP), whose celebrated programming includes the Golden Globe Awards, the American Music Awards, the Academy of Country Music Awards, and the annual Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve.  Roven served on the board that packaged the first original hit series for DCP in over a decade: the reality competition show, “So You Think You Can Dance.”  In 2006, Roven, together with Shapiro, supervised the sales of the publishing catalogues and in 2007, Roven served as chairman of the negotiating committee which sold DCP to Red Zone Capital Fund, the investment team chaired by Daniel Snyder, the owner of the Washington Redskins.  

After tremendous success and accomplishing the goals they set almost a decade before, the remaining partners of MMG took back their individual organizations in 2009 and decided to go their separate ways, and essentially disbanded MMG. 

Currently, Roven is in post-production on David O. Russell’s “American Hustle,” starring Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper, Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner and Jennifer Lawrence.  The film is an Atlas Entertainment production and is due for release on December 25, 2013.

            Roven is in pre-production on the highly anticipated feature film “Warcraft.”  To be directed by Duncan Jones (“Moon,” “Source Code”), the live-action film is based on Blizzard Entertainment’s award-winning Warcraft universe and was written by Charles Leavitt (“Blood Diamond”).

CHRISTOPHER NOLAN (Producer / Story) is an award-winning filmmaker who has been honored for his work as a director, writer and producer.  Nolan and his wife and producing partner, Emma Thomas, also helm their own production company, Syncopy.

Nolan recently wrote, directed and produced “The Dark Knight Rises,” the conclusion to his blockbuster trilogy, which began in 2005 with “Batman Begins,” starring Christian Bale in the title role.  Three years later, Nolan directed, co-wrote, and produced “The Dark Knight,” which went on to gross more than a billion dollars at the global box office and received worldwide critical acclaim.  In addition, Nolan was nominated for a Directors Guild of America (DGA) Award, Writers Guild of America (WGA) Award and Producers Guild of America (PGA) Award for his work on the film, which also received eight Oscar® nominations.  In bringing the story to a close, 2012’s “The Dark Knight Rises” earned more than one billion dollars worldwide.

In 2010, Nolan captivated critics and audiences with the acclaimed sci-fi thriller “Inception,” which he directed and produced from his own original screenplay.  The thought-provoking drama was a worldwide hit, earning more than $800 million dollars and becoming one of the most talked-about films of the year.  Among its many honors, “Inception” won four Academy Awards® and received four more Oscar® nominations, including two for Nolan, for Best Picture and Best Screenplay.  Nolan was also recognized by his peers with DGA and PGA Award nominations, and won a WGA Award for his work on the film.

Currently, Nolan is in pre-production on the science fiction film “Interstellar,” which he will direct from a screenplay he co-wrote with his brother, Jonathan.  He is also producing the film under the Syncopy banner. 

Born in London, Nolan began making movies at an early age with his father’s Super-8mm camera.  While studying English Literature at University College London (UCL), he shot 16mm films at UCL’s film society, where he learned the guerrilla film techniques he would later use to make his first feature, “Following.”  The noir thriller was recognized at a number of international film festivals prior to its theatrical release. 

Nolan’s second film was the independent feature “Memento,” which he directed from his own screenplay, based on a short story by Jonathan Nolan.  Starring Guy Pearce, the film brought Nolan numerous honors, including Academy Award® and Golden Globe Award nominations for Best Original Screenplay; Independent Spirit Awards for Best Director and Best Screenplay; and a DGA Award nomination.  Nolan went on to direct the critically acclaimed psychological thriller “Insomnia,” starring Oscar® winners Al Pacino, Robin Williams and Hilary Swank; and directed, co-wrote and produced the mystery thriller “The Prestige,” starring Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman. 

EMMA THOMAS (Producer) has produced a wide range of successful and critically acclaimed films.  Together with her husband, Christopher Nolan, she also heads up their own production company, Syncopy.

Thomas recently concluded her producing work on Nolan’s “Dark Knight” film franchise with “The Dark Knight Rises,” which took in more than a billion dollars at the worldwide box office.  She had earlier produced the 2005 hit “Batman Begins,” followed by 2008’s “The Dark Knight,” which shattered box-office records on its way to grossing more than one billion dollars worldwide.  Thomas was honored with her first Producers Guild of America (PGA) Award nomination for her work on the film.  “The Dark Knight” also received eight Academy Award® nominations, winning four, and nine BAFTA Award nominations, among its honors.

Currently, Thomas is in pre-production on the science fiction film “Interstellar,” which Nolan will direct from a screenplay he co-wrote with his brother, Jonathan Nolan. Thomas will produce the film under their Syncopy banner. 

In 2010, Thomas received an Oscar® nomination as a producer on the widely acclaimed sci-fi thriller “Inception,” which was written and directed by Christopher Nolan.  Earning more than $800 million dollars at the worldwide box office, the film garnered numerous honors, receiving four Academy Awards® and four more Oscar® nominations, as well as four Golden Globe nominations and nine BAFTA Award nominations, all including Best Picture.  Thomas also received a PGA Award nomination.

Thomas studied at the prestigious University College London before beginning her career at Working Title Films in physical production.  During her five years with the company, Thomas gained a solid foundation in film production, which later helped her segue into producing. 

The turning point in Thomas’ career came when she produced the independent feature “Following.”  Shot on a shoestring budget and on weekends over the course of a year, the noir thriller captured the art of guerilla filmmaking at its best.  Prior to its release, the film went on to gain recognition at film festivals around the world and received international distribution. 

Thomas then served as an associate producer on the internationally acclaimed independent film “Memento.”  The film went on to win a number of awards, including an Independent Spirit Award, a British Independent Film Award, and several critics groups’ awards for Best Film.  On the heels of this success, Thomas co-produced her first major studio release, the hit psychological thriller “Insomnia,” starring Oscar® winners Al Pacino, Robin Williams and Hilary Swank.

Thomas also produced “The Prestige,” starring Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman as two magicians whose jealous obsessions lead to tragedy and murder.  The Christopher Nolan-directed film earned two Academy Award® nominations, for Best Art Direction and Best Cinematography.

DEBORAH SNYDER (Producer) develops and produces visually arresting films that are both thought provoking and entertaining.  Bringing a unique, consumer-minded vision to each project she takes on, Snyder is heavily involved with the creative marketing and advertising strategy behind her films, applying her previous experience in the advertising industry.  As Co-President of Cruel & Unusual Films, formed with her producing partner Zack Snyder, Deborah Snyder stands among the top producers in the entertainment industry.

The Snyders’ company is currently in post-production on “300: Rise of an Empire,” directed by Noam Murro from a script co-written by Zack Snyder and Kurt Johnstad, and scheduled for release on March 7, 2014.  The film is another chapter of the “300” saga, following the 2007 blockbuster “300,” which her company produced and was written and directed by Zack Snyder.

Deborah Snyder most recently produced “Sucker Punch,” an action fantasy that follows a young girl whose dream world provides the ultimate escape from her darker reality; the film, written and directed by Zack Snyder, opened in March 2011. In addition, she is presently developing a wide range of projects under the Cruel & Unusual banner, including: “The Last Photograph,” from a story by Zack Snyder and screenplay by Kurt Johnstad; “Army of the Dead,” an action-thriller written by Joby Harold from an original story by Zack Snyder; and “Illusions,” based on the novel by Richard Bach.

Snyder made her producing debut as an executive producer on the worldwide hit feature “300,” based on the graphic novel by Frank Miller and Lynn Varley and directed by Zack Snyder.  A breakout success, “300” took in more than $70 million at the box office in its opening weekend and went on to gross over $450 million worldwide.  Snyder then produced Zack Snyder’s critically acclaimed “Watchmen,” the long-awaited adaptation of Alan Moore’s graphic novel, and executive produced the animated adventure “Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole.”

DAVID S. GOYER (Screenwriter) previously collaborated with Christopher Nolan on the mega-hit “Dark Knight” trilogy, starting with the screenplay for “Batman Begins,” which successfully brought the iconic character back to his origins.  Goyer went on to team with Nolan on the story for the billion-dollar blockbuster “The Dark Knight,” for which they received a Writers Guild of America Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay, followed by the story’s conclusion in “The Dark Knight Rises.”

Goyer has earned a reputation for telling character-driven stories adapted from the otherworldly realms of superheroes, fantasy and the supernatural.  His breakout came in 1998 when he wrote the action hit “Blade,” starring Wesley Snipes, based on the Marvel Comics vampire hunter who is, himself, half-vampire.  He then wrote 2002’s “Blade II,” on which he also served as an executive producer.  In 2004, he directed, wrote and produced the last of the trilogy, “Blade: Trinity.”

In 2002, Goyer made his feature film directorial debut with the drama “ZigZag,” for which he also wrote the screenplay, based on the acclaimed novel by Landon Napoleon.  His other directing credits include “The Invisible,” starring Justin Chatwin and Marcia Gay Harden, and the hit supernatural thriller “The Unborn,” based on his own original screenplay and starring Odette Annable and Gary Oldman.  In addition, Goyer recently signed on to direct an adaptation of the classic revenge tale The Count of Monte Cristo.

In addition to screenwriting, Goyer made his debut in video games with the story for the smash hit “Call of Duty: Black Ops,” and penned the story for its blockbuster follow up, “Call of Duty: Black Ops 2.”  His love of comic books also led to a four-year stint actually writing one for DC Comics.  He is a co-writer of The Justice Society, which was one of DC’s biggest hits.

Goyer’s latest television series, “Da Vinci’s Demons,” in which he serves as creator, writer, director and executive producer, is currently airing on Starz.  Focusing on the complex life of Leonardo da Vinci, the show garnered critical acclaim and strong ratings since its premiere in April of this year.

THOMAS TULL (Executive Producer) is Chairman and CEO of Legendary Pictures and has achieved great success in the co-production and co-financing of event movies.  Since its inception in 2004, Legendary Pictures, a division of leading media company Legendary Entertainment with film and comics divisions, has teamed with Warner Bros. Pictures on a wide range of theatrical features.

The many hits released under their joint banner include Christopher Nolan’s blockbuster “Dark Knight” Trilogy, which kicked off with “Batman Begins,” followed by the award-winning phenomenon “The Dark Knight,” which earned in excess of a billion dollars worldwide.  Nolan brought the story to an epic conclusion in 2012 with “The Dark Knight Rises,” which earned more than a billion dollars at the global box office.

            This highly successful partnership has also produced such films as Zack Snyder’s “300” and “Watchmen”; Ben Affleck’s “The Town”; Nolan’s award-winning action drama “Inception”; the worldwide hit “Clash of the Titans” and its sequel, “Wrath of the Titans”; and Todd Phillips’ “The Hangover,” “The Hangover Part II,” which is the highest-grossing R-rated comedy of all time, and the recently released “The Hangover Part III.”

Legendary also recently released director Brian Helgeland’s hit drama “42,” the story of baseball legend Jackie Robinson.

Legendary’s upcoming film slate includes “Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures Pacific Rim,” from director Guillermo del Toro; “Seventh Son,” starring Jeff Bridges; and “300: Rise of an Empire,” the new chapter in the “300” saga.  Legendary is also in production on “Godzilla,” slated for release in May 2014, “Gravel” and “Warcraft.”

Before forming Legendary, Tull was President of The Convex Group, a media and entertainment holding company headquartered in Atlanta, on whose Board of Directors he also served.  Tull is also a member of the Board of Trustees of the American Film Institute (AFI) and the Board of Directors of Hamilton College, his alma mater, and Carnegie Mellon University.  He serves on the board of the San Diego Zoo and is a minority partner in the six-time Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers.

LLOYD PHILLIPS (Executive Producer) was a respected producer and unit production manager, whose work took him all over the world and teamed him with many noted directors and actors.
He had recently served as an executive producer on Quentin Tarantino’s World War II-era film “Inglourious Basterds,” which earned eight Oscar® nominations, including Best Picture. Phillips also collaborated with director Martin Campbell on several projects, producing the films “The Legend of Zorro,” reuniting Antonio Banderas and Catherine Zeta-Jones; “Beyond Borders,” starring Angelina Jolie and Clive Owen; and “Vertical Limit,” starring Chris O’Donnell and Bill Paxton.
Phillips’ additional film credits included “The Tourist,” starring Jolie and Johnny Depp; Tom Tykwer’s “The International,” starring Clive Owen and Naomi Watts; “Racing Stripes,” starring Hayden Panettiere; “Running Free,” directed by Sergei Bodrov; Lee Tamahori’s “The Edge,” starring Alec Baldwin and Anthony Hopkins; and Terry Gilliam’s “Twelve Monkeys,” starring Bruce Willis and Brad Pitt.

Born in South Africa, Phillips grew up in New Zealand.  His early work as a photojournalist earned him entry into the National Film School in the UK.  In 1981, he made his producing debut with the short “The Dollar Bottom,” which won an Oscar® for Best Live Action Short and also made him the first New Zealander to win an Academy Award®.

Phillips then produced the feature “Nate and Hayes,” which he also co-wrote with John Hughes.  He went on to produce “Heart of the High Country” and Graeme Clifford’s “Ruby Cairo,” and was a production consultant on Roger Donaldson’s sci-fi hit “Species.”
Apart from his film career, Phillips was a producer on the Broadway shows “Shogun, The Musical” and “Three Penny Opera,” starring Sting.  He was also an avid photographer, who published a personal photo journal of each film project he produced.  An exhibition of his photography from “The International” was shown in Berlin during the 2009 Berlin Bienale.
“Man of Steel” marked Phillips’ final film.

JON PETERS (Executive Producer) has been responsible for bringing to the screen some of the most beloved and successful films of all time, from “A Star is Born” to “Flashdance” to the “Batman” franchise.

            A native of California’s San Fernando Valley, the Italian / Indian American entered the industry through unconventional means: as one of Hollywood’s most successful hairdressers.  His career in this industry led to his entrée into another, the movie industry.  Forging a powerful bond with Barbra Streisand at the cusp of her phenomenal entertainment career, Peters became her manager and produced the 1976 hit “A Star is Born,” starring Streisand and Kris Kristofferson.  The film grossed over $100 million at the box office and garnered four Oscar® nominations, winning the award for Best Song with “Evergreen.”  Peters also produced a string of best-selling albums for Streisand, as well as the film “The Main Event,” which also starred Streisand.  Additionally, Peters produced the haunting thriller “The Eyes of Laura Mars,” and the cult classic “Caddyshack,” starring Chevy Chase and Bill Murray.

            In 1982, Peters joined with Peter Guber, a perfect complement to Peters’ cowboy way, to form the dynamic film company Guber-Peters, which produced a string of hits, including “Vision Quest,” “The Witches of Eastwick,” “Missing” and the blockbuster “Flashdance.”  Guber-Peters was also responsible for producing such socially conscious films as “The Color Purple,” “Gorillas in the Mist,” “A Few Good Men,” and “Rain Man,” which was the recipient of the Best Picture Oscar® in 1988, before going on to produce the highly successful “Batman” franchise.  Peters also had a hand in the rediscovery of “Spider-Man,” which was later produced by his longtime friend, Laura Ziskin.  In true Hollywood tradition, Guber and Peters were memorialized in the industry chronicle Hit and Run.

Sony purchased the Guber-Peters Company in 1989 and the pair was retained to run Columbia Pictures, but Peters soon left to form his own production company, Peters Entertainment.  His new venture produced such films as “Money Train,” “My Fellow Americans,” “Rosewood,” “Wild, Wild West” and the powerful biopic “Ali,” starring Will Smith as Mohammad Ali.  “Ali” garnered several Oscar® bids as well as gaining significant recognition from the NAACP and other African-American organizations.

During a visit to New York, Peters happened upon a copy of the Superman comic book, The Death of Superman, which led him to investigate the film rights and resulted in his producing “Superman Returns.”

AMIR MOKRI (Director of Photography) most recently shot Michael Bay’s “Transformers: Dark of the Moon,” having previously worked with Bay on “Bad Boys 2,” starring Will Smith, Martin Lawrence and Gabrielle Union.

Mokri attended Boston University and Emerson College in Boston and, upon graduation, became a cinematography fellow at the American Film Institute.  Shortly thereafter he met director Wayne Wang.  The duo collaborated on several films, including “The Joy Luck Club,” “Life is Cheap . . . but Toilet Paper is Expensive,” “Eat a Bowl of Tea” and “Slamdance,” Mokri’s feature film debut.  He earned two Independent Spirit Award nominations for Best Cinematography for “Life is Cheap” and “Slamdance.”

His other credits include “Season of the Witch,” “Fast & Furious,” “Vantage Point,” “National Treasure: Book of Secrets,” “Lord of War,” “Taking Lives,” “Salton Sea,” “Coyote Ugly,” “An Eye for an Eye,” “Freejack,” “Pacific Heights,” “Whore,” “Blue Steel,” “Queens Logic” and “House of the Rising Sun.” 
            Mokri’s work on commercials and music videos is extensive, as is his resume of short films, which includes “The Waiting,” “A Hero of Our Time,” “L.A. Games,” “Air Lock,” “Mr. Daddy” and “Messenger.”

ALEX MCDOWELL (Production Designer) has worked as a production designer for over 30 years, on both live action and animated features, and has also received praise for his work blending practical and digital production design in film genres ranging from period and contemporary to science fiction and fantasy.  He also made his producing debut as a co-producer on the indie film “Bunraku,” starring Demi Moore, Woody Harrelson, Ron Perlman and Josh Hartnett.

McDowell previously worked with Zack Snyder on the action adventure “Watchmen,” based on the seminal graphic novel.  His work was most recently seen in the sci-fi films “Upside Down” and “In Time,” and in the animated comedies “Fantastic Mr. Fox,” from Wes Anderson, starring the voices of George Clooney and Cate Blanchett, and “Arthur Christmas,” on which the designer served as a consultant.

McDowell earned a BAFTA Award nomination and an Art Directors Guild (ADG) Award nomination for his work on Tim Burton’s 2005 fantasy film “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.”  He also collaborated with Burton on the 2005 stop-motion animated film “Corpse Bride.”  McDowell previously won an ADG Award for Steven Spielberg’s 2004 film “The Terminal,” for which he designed a full-size airport terminal, one of the largest architectural sets ever built for a film.  The designer had earlier worked with Spielberg on 2002’s sci-fi action hit “Minority Report,” for which McDowell received his first ADG Award nomination.
His additional film credits include Anthony Minghella’s “Breaking and Entering”; “The Cat in the Hat”; “Fight Club,” for director David Fincher; Terry Gilliam’s “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas”; and “The Crow.”

A classically trained painter, McDowell attended Central School of Art in London.  In 2006, he was named Royal Designer for Industry by the RSA, the UK’s most prestigious design society, and for five years was a Visiting Artist at MIT’s Media Lab.  He serves as a member of the AMPAS Science and Technology Council.  He is also creative director of USC’s 5D Institute, a transmedia and world building design forum.

DAVID BRENNER (Editor) won an Academy Award® for his work on Oliver Stone’s “Born on the Fourth of July.”  He also edited Stone’s “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps," “World Trade Center,” “The Doors,” “Heaven & Earth,” and “Talk Radio.”   Brenner is also known for his collaboration with Roland Emmerich, for whom he edited “2012,” “Independence Day,” “The Day After Tomorrow” and “The Patriot.”
Brenner’s 25-year career has also encompassed works as diverse as Rob Marshall’s “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides”; “Wanted”; “Identity”; “The River Wild”; “Kate & Leopold”; “Fear”; “Lolita”; and “What Dreams May Come.”

JAMES ACHESON (Costume Designer) is a three-time Academy Award® winner for his costume designs, earning his first award in 1988, for his work on Bernardo Bertolucci’s “The Last Emperor,” starring Peter O’Toole.  He followed up with a second win in 1989, for Stephen Frears’ “Dangerous Liaisons,” starring Glenn Close, John Malkovich, Michelle Pfeiffer, Keanu Reeves, and Uma Thurman.  Acheson was honored with his third Academy Award® in 1996, for his designs for the Michael Hoffman-directed “Restoration,” starring Robert Downey Jr., Meg Ryan, Ian McKellen, and Sam Neill.
Acheson most recently worked on “The Warrior’s Way,” for director Sngmoo Lee.  He previously designed the costumes for Sam Raimi’s trio of blockbuster Spider-Man hits, and also served as costume designer for “Daredevil,” starring Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck.
His numerous other film credits include “The Man in the Iron Mask,” “Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein,” “The Sheltering Sky,” “Highlander,” and Bernardo Bertolucci’s “Little Buddha,” on which Acheson served as costume designer and production designer.  He has collaborated with several members of the Monty Python comedies, starting in 1979, when he designed the costumes for Terry Gilliam’s “Time Bandits,” starring John Cleese, Sean Connery, Shelley Duvall, and Michael Palin.  He then designed costumes for Gilliam’s “Brazil,” as well as Terry Jones’ “Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life” and “Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride,” for which he also did production design.

MICHAEL WILKINSON’s (Costume Designer) costume design work includes Zack Snyder’s worldwide hit “300” and Joe Kosinski’s futuristic action movie “Tron: Legacy.”  He was nominated for a Costume Designers Guild Award and a Saturn Award for both projects.  Previously, Wilkinson won the Saturn Award for his designs for Snyder’s widely praised action thriller “Watchmen,” and was nominated for the CDG Award for his contemporary designs seen in the international ensemble drama “Babel.” 

Wilkinson’s most recent work includes the costumes for Darren Aronofsky’s epic re-imagining of the biblical “Noah,” and David O. Russell’s love letter to the `70s, “American Hustle.”  Variety magazine included Wilkinson in their recent “Below the Line Impact” list of film-makers that have significant impact in their field of expertise.

Wilkinson’s additional film credits include the action fantasy “Sucker Punch,” worldwide blockbusters “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn” Parts 1 and 2, the post-apocalyptic “Terminator Salvation,” the Civil War drama “Jonah Hex,” and the contemporary films “The Nanny Diaries,” “Friends with Money,” “Party Monster,” “American Splendor” and “Garden State.” For TV, he designed the pilot for the HBO series “Luck,” directed by Michael Mann.

            Earlier in his career, Wilkinson worked as a design assistant for such films as the Wachowskis’ “The Matrix,” and Baz Luhrmann’s “Moulin Rouge!” and “William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet.”

Beyond film, Wilkinson’s theater work includes award-winning costume designs for the Sydney Theater Company, Opera Australia, the Australian Dance Theater, Radio City Hall and the Ensemble Theatre.  He also works in special events, having created hundreds of designs for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney.
            Wilkinson has a degree in Dramatic Arts (Design) from the National Institute of the Dramatic Arts in his hometown of Sydney, Australia.

JOHN “DJ” DesJARDIN (Visual Effects Supervisor) has been creating visual effects for more than 25 years, and has built a body of work encompassing over 30 feature films. 

He first worked with director Zack Snyder on the comic book actioner “Watchmen,” for which DesJardin was nominated for an Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films’ Saturn Award for Best Special Effects.  They followed up that collaboration with the action fantasy “Sucker Punch” in 2011.
DesJardin collaborated with the Wachowskis as a visual effects supervisor on the second and third films in the blockbuster “Matrix” trilogy, “The Matrix Reloaded” and “The Matrix Revolutions,” as well as on their award-winning video game “Enter the Matrix.”  His credits as visual effects supervisor also include the action hit “Fantastic Four” and the Middle East-set thriller “The Kingdom,” as well as the earlier thrillers “Firestorm,” “The Astronaut’s Wife” and “End of Days.”

His film credits also include “X-Men: The Last Stand,” as additional visual effects supervisor; “Friday Night Lights,” on which he served as on-set visual effects supervisor; and “Mission: Impossible II,” as CG supervisor. 

HANS ZIMMER (Composer)       is one of the film industry’s most influential composers, whose career spans three decades and encompasses well over 100 films.  Zimmer earned his ninth and most recent Academy Award® nomination, for his score for Christopher Nolan’s 2010 blockbuster “Inception,” which also brought him Golden Globe and BAFTA Award nominations. 

He previously collaborated with Nolan on “Batman Begins”; the record-breaking hit “The Dark Knight,” for which he earned a BAFTA Award nomination; and “The Dark Knight Rises.”

His recent credits also include the animated hit “Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted,” Guy Ritchie’s “Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows,” and Rob Marshall’s “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.”  Zimmer is currently scoring the historical drama “Twelve Years a Slave,” directed by Steve McQueen and starring Brad Pitt and Benedict Cumberbatch. 

In 1994, Zimmer won both an Oscar® and a Golden Globe Award for his score for the animated smash hit “The Lion King,” which spawned a hugely successful soundtrack album. 

Zimmer has also garnered six Oscar® nominations for his previous scores, including those heard in the films “Gladiator,” “The Thin Red Line,” and “Rain Man.”  In addition, he won a Golden Globe Award and earned Grammy and BAFTA Award nominations for “Gladiator,” and has also received seven more Golden Globe nominations, for his composing work on such films as “Frost/Nixon” and “The Prince of Egypt.”

In 2003, ASCAP presented the composer with the prestigious Henry Mancini Award for Lifetime Achievement, recognizing his extraordinary body of work.  In 2010, he was named the Composer of the Year at the Hollywood Film Festival and also received his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. (PR)




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