Back in 2007, fresh off the success of 300, Zack Snyder was looking to do something a little less epic, and with 100% fewer oiled-up Spartans. That something was to have been The Last Photograph, which he was developing with writer Kurt Johnstad. But now, a few years later, he might actually take it on as a directing gig.
Photograph focuses on a war correspondent in Afghanistan who is the lone survivor of an attack on a group of Americans. When a special ops soldier searching for a family member shows up, the pair teams up, with the photographer hoping it could lead to the story of a lifetime.
When the movie was originally in development, Snyder was throwing himself into work on Watchmen, and indeed he handed it to Warner Bros. with the intention that Mongrel's Sergei Bodrov would actually call the shots. But as the project lingered in limbo, Snyder became wrapped up in other big projects, eventually diving into the DC movie universe with Man Of Steel, Batman V Superman and next year's Justice League.
Now, a schedule change pushing back the second Justice League film in favour of Ben Affleck's The Batman could be just the opportunity Snyder needs to work on something that doesn't require big effects work and huge schedules. While Christian Bale and Sean Penn were attached at one time, the project has no current cast, and Snyder's regular collaborator Gianni Nunnari is in the process of re-acquiring the rights for the movie, which the duo and Deborah Snyder plan to once again set up at Warners.
Before that, though, Justice League must be shepherded through post-production, ready for its 17 November release date next year.