Zack Snyder‘s newest movie, Rebel Moon, is due to drop today and mark his biggest dip into the sci-fi genre to date. While his space opera is set to make waves on Netflix and give us a large-scale action to watch for the holidays, he’s recently put the spotlight on one of his older movies.
Zack Snyder‘s 2011 action movie, Sucker Punch, found itself on the receiving end of negative reviews and an underwhelming box office performance when it was released. In fact, some would say it’s the worst movie in his filmography. But Snyder himself is keenly aware of its legacy, and recently revealed that he’d been hoping to change history.
“I’m working with Warner Bros. to try and find a window to go back in,” he recently told Total Film [via Inverse]. “Even though we did an extended version, it’s not the fully realized movie. I think it’s good [if] I can get those guys, Emily [Browning] and Abby [Cornish] and the crew back in, some reshoots would be amazing.”
Sucker Punch takes place in a fantasy inside the mind of a young woman, Babydoll, who finds herself imprisoned in a mental institution. In her mind, she and the other patients battle their way through various fictional landscapes and scenarios.
When Sucker Punch was released, it only earned $89.8 million at the box office against an $82 million budget. Even time hasn’t really been kind — these days, it still sits at 22% on Rotten Tomatoes.
As one of the most polarizing directors in Hollywood, it’s not surprising that Snyder’s Sucker Punch might have missed the mark for some audiences. It was his first movie based on an original concept, and obviously didn’t sit right with the general public.
Half-fantasy movie, half-action thriller, Sucker Punch is a blend of genres made to showcase his intense visual style. There was nothing familiar in Sucker Punch for audiences to grab onto, unlike some of his other works such as Watchmen or 300. Even Rebel Moon is likely to find goodwill a little easier than Sucker Punch—it’s basically Snyder’s take on a Star Wars story.
If Snyder were to reshoot certain elements of Sucker Punch, we’d be willing to bet that audiences would give it another shot. Sure, it likely wouldn’t end up changing the foundations of the movie itself, but we think that moviegoers these days are more inclined to give into Snyder’s filmmaking approach, especially after the rally behind Justice League’s ‘Snyder Cut’.
At the very least, we’re curious enough to see what Snyder would consider to be an improvement all these years later. We’ll never say no to an alternate Snyder version!
For more from the Snyderverse, check our what happened when we spoke to the Rebel Moon cast and keep tabs on the potential for Justice League 2. You can also take note of all the new movies coming soon, as well as our list of the best movies of all time.