Finally making the jump to animation this year is Zack Snyder, and the result is bloody, beautiful, and boundless. With Jay Oliva, Eric Carassco, and an army of animators, producers, and more, Snyder’s Norse-inspired saga Twilight of the Gods is ready to rage on Netflix for a revenge tale as epic as the gods themselves.
In Twilight of the Gods, a warrior maiden of Jötunheimr swears revenge against Thor after the God of Thunder massacres her family in a rage of lightning, shattered bone, and arrogance. After surviving Thor’s onslaught, Sigrid assembles a hunting party alongside her beloved Leif to find Thor, kill him, and destroy anyone in their way. Prepare yourselves for a gratifying journey born from compelling characters, gorgeous realms, and enough violence to make Mortal Kombat fans blush.
Before the show’s Netflix release, we discussed Twilight of the Gods with Zack Snyder and executive producer Wesley Coller. During our talk, Zack and Wesley talked about Zack jumping head-first into animation and how the creative process differs from live-action. We also discuss how the show’s episodic format alleviates the desire for a Director’s Cut, the future of the series, and the moment Zack knew he’d found the show’s unique art style.
Twilight of the Gods is streaming on Netflix. You can read our glowing review of the show here!
JoBlo: As a contributing director on the project, did you find it easy to relinquish control of the camera for other episodes? Do you enjoy shooting animation as much as live-action?
Zack Snyder: I very much enjoy working on animation. It’s really fun. In my normal process, I do a doodle and expect the actors to understand what I’m trying to accomplish. With this process and layout, you can get what you want 100%. The truly talented directors I worked with on this [Twilight of the Gods] were amazing. I did have my hand in pretty much everything. Once the scripts were done, it was fun to see the guys dig into the other episodes. It was really rewarding. I was happy to collaborate with everyone.
JoBlo: The show’s art and animation evoke shades of Samurai Jack and Cartoon Saloon’s The Secret of Kells. Do you know if any animated works serve as inspiration for the series?
Wesley Coller: I think that a lot of what you see is infused with people’s unique experiences. There’s a look that Zack, Jay [Oliva], and others wanted to go for. I think with any other project, live-action or animated, you bring all that experience, passion, and love to the palette that you paint from. For me, what was so exciting was the fact that, as we developed the look of it, it very much has a unique style of its own. I love seeing what 2D offered Zack, Jay, and the other directors. Twilight of the Gods is its own thing, in many ways, and draws from all our experiences.
Zack Snyder: The truth is we went through this insane development period where we had all these different looks for Sigrid, Leif, and Thor. I kept going, ‘You know, it reminds me of something else.’ It has shades of other things, but it eventually became mythological and sort of its own thing.
Wesley Coller: I think the style, based on the fact that we go to so many different worlds with humans, giants, gods, and dragons, the style lends to encapsulating all those ideas in a way that’s painterly, beautiful, and really captivating.
Zack Snyder: Sigrid really landed me [referring to settling on an art style]. Finally, around the time when I was like, ‘That’s it, that’s what I want,’ Sherry [Gunther], our producer, made me a big image with all of Sigird’s looks throughout the series. You had Sigrid covered in blood, naked, ready for battle. I remember looking at it and thinking, ‘This is it. This is right.’
JoBlo: As a filmmaker who tends to keep some material in his back pocket for later, do you find that the show’s episodic format alleviates the desire for a Director’s Cut?
Zack Snyder: 100%. The thing about episodic work is you get a chance for a pretty slow burn. Pretty much every character has a full arc and storyline. We learn about them, know what their deal is, and why they’re there. In some ways, episodic is my natural cadence.
JoBlo: Earlier this month, Jay Oliva said he’s waiting to work on a second season of the series. Without giving away specifics, can you tell us if there’s a road map to continue the story?
Zack Snyder: Yes, there’s a massive roadmap. We know exactly what will happen. It’s just a matter of seeing if there’s an appetite for it.