The Point Radio: COSMOS Returns With Love
Transcript
The Point Radio. Hey, it's Mike Roth bringing a sequel to the original film 300 to the big screen is no small job. But Zack Snyder was on top of it. We talked to him and actress Lena Headley. But what the differences are between this and the original. Plus Marvel celebrates 75 and Constantine finally gets a cast.
Let's give you The Point. This is The Point. The Point Radio. Get The Point Radio. It's a return to the world that Frank Miller created in comics not that many years ago. 300 Rise of the Empire follows up with the original movie. But new to this story is actor Jack O'Connell.
Well, I was very keen to be able to introduce a youth element to the story. And obviously that becomes relevant to the paternal relationship with Colin's character, Silas. And how that sort of battle mentality can potentially age an individual. And I guess Callisto is younger than myself, but perhaps more mentally mature. Which I didn't think featured in the original picture.
So that was a new idea from the writing team. Yeah, I was in a position where kind of the peak of my life, priming my life anyway, physically. Women play a big part in all of it as explained by actress Lena Headley, whose character comes from a damaged past. I mean, first of all, I think it's quite rare to see strong women in an action film, you know, kicking something. So that's cool, you know?
Yeah, I mean, she is like a man in a woman's body. You know, she is really ballsy, very brave. And yeah, as you said, she was kind of traumatized as a child. So she kind of built this armor around her to survive. And yeah, she became like so driven by vengeance, blinded by vengeance and completely obsessed.
And she's kind of a… Yeah, she's bonkers. She's also fueled by revenge. I mean, speaking from Gohler's point of view, you know, the Spartan law is, you know, honor before anything else. And the fact that she loses the love of her life, there is nothing else to be done apart from, you know, avenge him. So in terms of her, it's pretty straightforward. There's only one way to go.
So was it hard to get into the deep subtext of a role like this? I just think there's no kind of giant science to it. Do you know what I mean? It's like if you're playing a mother who's losing a son or a father who's losing a son or a son who's losing a… You know, there's something at stake and it's like Kurt said, you don't have to write every single word down.
You know, some of it is just done with pure emotion. I mean, you know, and this piece is about war and death and love. So I think you're already set up to be emotionally raw. I don't think it needs much more than that. You know what I mean?
You need to do some big theatrical acting because that's mental. The job of separating this film visually from the first one felt the director no more. I think the idea was I think thematically there is an expansion here and therefore there is, you know, there's a way to do that visually. I think that there's geography and weather systems and the idea that this is all happening. Most of it is happening at sea, you know, open seas.
It really allows you to do something that is different. I think that operatically speaking, this really allows you to do something that's a little bigger and has, I guess, just a deeper visual route into it. And I think it just allows you to open it up. Also, I think that part of the challenge was how do you connect this 300 really changed a lot of filmmaking when it came out and how do you take that and keep ties to it and not make it look exactly the same but still has a real connection to the original. And that was really part of the struggle investigation.
The pieces together for this sequel was co-writer Zack Snyder and his wife Debbie, who also produced the film. Yeah, I think also Kurt and I were talking when we originally started talking about how we would incorporate the different characters and make them do what they were going to do in the movie. I mean, I think that we always, it's always like, oh, the dad or the kid or, you know, the wife or the mother, you know, I think those are strong things that we always talk about. So I don't make that, I mean, for us, just sort of talking about the origins of the story, that getting those guys to go into battle for their families or for their, you know, children or whatever. I think that's easy stuff to feel, you know, so that made its way into the story pretty easily. And I don't know.
Well, I think what's really interesting about this story is in the first story, you know, the Spartans, we could never be the Spartans. They were trained to be these warriors from day one. And, you know, we're more like the free Greeks, you know, these were some of them, you know, most of them untrained, you know, their navy was so small compared to the Persians. So they had to like rely on all the people and motivate them to come and join them. So they really were. It was it was super personal. And they were fighting for their families. They were fighting for their land and and being relatively untrained. I think it's just a whole different mentality. And they had so much more, you know, at stake and so much more, I think, to risk because of that. It was hard for Zach to give up the director's chair for this one.
When Noam came to talk to us about the idea of making the movie, because we had we had the script and we we knew that it was going to be I was going to go do Man of Steel. And there was no way, honestly, that I was going to be able to do it. And it was a big decision to say, like, OK, maybe we should get, you know, another director to direct a movie. And I think and we started to like talk about different and Debbie had worked with them on a TV commercial shot in Toronto, is that correct? And and she had been a big fan of Noam's and it still is, of course, but now in this new incarnation. But it was that I think was sort of initiated the idea that we might work with him.
And then he came and told us a little bit about what he would want to do with the movie. And it was very, you know, it was a lot of things that frankly, it was a lot of things that I had said all those years ago when I was pitching the original movie. So what I felt like there was symmetry in the sort of full circle aspect of it. And I think and then he did this cool presentation and we just really felt like, you know, he he had it. He had the sort of vocabulary to make something cool. And he had.
So it was that's how we sort of came to it. With so many movies out there filling the screen with high tech weaponry and special effects, was it hard to tell a visually enticing story without having these tools? We were working on 300 originally. It was a thing that we just think it's cool. You know, I don't think it's a you know, I think that there there's clearly there's cool action to be and stories to be told that aren't necessarily take place in a sci-fi environment or an environment that needs. I mean, like you look at great tradition of historical films that I think make for good drama and action.
And I think that that, you know, look, you know, we have an amazing, you know, fight choreographer and stunt warrior coordinator and David Caro, who's like, you know, his one of his favorite languages is, you know, swords and soldiers and, you know, maybe better than, you know, laser guns and, you know, lightsabers. I won't say that, but you know, and I think what Kurt and I talked about it, that these are things that we find cool. You know, so I think by the time, you know, Nome gets, you know, the spirit of the thing is already, I hope anyway, is infused with a G anyway that might help, you know, this to be interesting visually. 300 rise of an empire in theaters right now. Heading into the weekend. Let's take a minute first to catch up on the latest in pop culture.
The FX Network has announced they are renewing Archer for two seasons. The animated comedy will be around through 2016 with seasons number six and seven, and each one will contain 13 episodes as well. There are four seasons of the show available right now on DVD. Season five is running right now every week on FX and you can catch our exclusive interview with the ladies of Archer right now at our website. Get the point radio dot com. If I was that big screen TV in your living room, I'd be a little worried Verizon issued a new report this week that shows that 65 percent of Americans watch television on a second device.
They watch it from places like Amazon, Apple, Samsung, Netflix and Facebook. And sometimes they binge watch as well. The highest number of episodes, according to the survey, watched in one sitting was about eight. Members have been added and looks like things are pretty much in place for the pilot for Constantine. The NBC project now has added Lucy Griffiths as lives. Harold Perneau from Lost will also join the cast.
And as we told you a few weeks ago, Matt Ryan has been cast in the title role of Constantine, which will be directed by Neil Marshall from Black Sails. Plans would be for the pilot to be shot and then be under consideration for being part of the upcoming season on the network or at the very least, the midseason replacement for sometime early next year. The new Robert Rodriguez series set to premiere in just days is now got a new platform from dusk till dawn. I'll also be part of Netflix, at least overseas. It'll be available in the international markets there and in the U.S.
It is still on Roberts L Ray Network, which is available on a number of cable systems. First episode is set to debut in just a few days on the 12th of March. And you can see more at lray network dot com. Marvel is gearing up for a big celebration for their 75th anniversary. They've even put a good section up on the Web site and more than likely that'll be added to over the next few weeks. They've also produced a little promotional video as well.
And we've got that posted for you on our Web site. Get the point radio dot com. Even if you don't find a lot on the Marvel Web site already, keep in mind it's probably something you should check back to from time to time. Because more than likely the company will have some big plans as the year rolls on. Get ready for a big breakfast when DC Comics releases five new Justice League comics inside specially marked boxes of General Mills cereal. There are four issues that will be in specially marked boxes of Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Lucky Charms, Honey Dud Cheerios, Trix,
Cookie Crisp, and Reese's Puffs. And the fifth book, which of course just to be difficult, DC has made available only in Cheerios and only in Cheerios that are sold at Target stores around the country. Better just head to eBay right now. Alright, right off the bat remember to turn those clocks ahead this weekend and then catch all the pop culture you need at getthepointradio.com. We operate 23 hours a day this weekend at least for one day.
And we're always there when you need us free on your laptop or your desktop at getthepointradio.com. And we're free on your mobile device to either Apple or Android with an app that is also free called iNet Radio. Get that in the App Store or iNetRadio.com. The podcast will be back in a few days. We're on websites like ComicMix.com and MichaelDavisWorld.com and the iTunes Podcast Directory. Keep up with us on social media, Facebook, and Twitter under The Point Radio.
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