Zack Snyder has spent the last decade making movies about comic-book superheroes, rampaging zombies, and epic space conflicts, but could his next project take him into the world of the UFC?
According to Jordan Ruimy at World of Reel, Snyder may be ready to bring the UFC to the big screen. Zach Baylin (King Richard) has reportedly penned the screenplay with Snyder, with the full cooperation of UFC president Dana White. The project isn’t set up at Netflix and is planned to be a theatrical film. The team has been looking at locations such as Riyadh in Saudi Arabia and Las Vegas, and the report even states that Adam Driver has been “approached” to star in the movie. It’s still very early, so nothing has been confirmed.
Earlier this year, Snyder told Reel Blend that his next movie would be smaller, at least compared to something like Rebel Moon. “I’m trying to do a small movie right now,” Snyder said. “I’m not going to say what it is, but I was, like, can I just do a movie without any visual effects in it for like five minutes?” A UFC movie would fit the bill while still keeping with the director’s action aesthetic.
The UFC held a major event in Saudi Arabia this summer, and Turki Alalshikh, chairman of the General Entertainment Authority, immediately said he wanted to get Snyder to direct a UFC movie. “I want to have a meeting with him [Dana White] and director Zack Snyder – he’s a friend. We want to talk about doing big movie about the UFC like ‘Cinderella Man’ or something like this,” Alalshikh said. “I will try to convince Zack Snyder; he liked the idea and convince also Dana.“
The director’s latest project is Twilight of the Gods, a bold and bloody animated vision of Norse mythology about a warrior with an axe to grind against the gods. The series premiered on Netflix last month, and even our own Steve Seigh loved it, particularly the animation. “The animation in Twilight of the Gods is staggeringly beautiful at all times,” Seigh wrote. “While the series boasts a unique look, its style combines Samurai Jack and Cartoon Saloon’s The Secret of Kells elements. The result is something memorable, vibrant, and bold.” He also mentioned that the show is “as mature as it gets, with gory violence, full-frontal nudity, coarse language, and sex scenes unafraid to give another meaning to ‘thrusting one’s blade.’” You can check out the rest of his review right here.
Could you see Zack Snyder taking the helm of a UFC movie?