Zack Snyder

Two years ago Time Warner Inc. Chief Executive Jeff Bewkes created an Office of the President to inspire three ambitious executives into collegial competition for the top job at Warner Bros., Hollywood's largest film and television studio. "These three will work as a unit," Bewkes declared. But the effort has inspired distrust and disharmony inside Warner Bros., the studio known for Batman, Bugs Bunny and "The Big Bang Theory" as well as for its decades of management stability.

Halfway through the production of "Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole," director Zack Snyder began feeling pressure to lighten the tone of his 3-D animated feature. Executives at Warner Bros. and Village Roadshow Pictures, the movie's backers, were worried that the story was too dark for younger audiences, a primary target. They wanted Snyder, known for the R-rated action movies "300" and " Watchmen," to add humor and "charm" to "Guardian's" tale about the battle between good and evil in a fantasy owl kingdom.

The zombies are walking again. Production has begun in Canada on "Dawn of the Dead," which Universal Pictures bills as a "re-envisioning" of George A. Romero's 1978 horror classic. Making his feature-film directing debut on the project is Zack Snyder. The cast features Sarah Polley, Ving Rhames, Jake Weber and Mekhi Phifer.

Hey, Christopher Nolan fans: You only have to wait another year and a half to see your favorite director's next venture. Co-distributors Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros. Pictures announced Friday that the "The Dark Knight Rises" director's new film, "Interstellar," will debut on Nov. 7, 2014. Written by his brother, Jonathan Nolan, "Interstellar" is a time-traveling epic based on scientific theories developed by Caltech physicist Kip Thorne, who will executive produce the movie.

A federal judge said Monday that he was unable to decide whether 20th Century Fox controls rights to the movie that Warner Bros. has produced and plans to release March 9, leaving open the possibility that the dispute between the studios could be tried on Jan. 20. U.S. District Court Judge Gary Feess told lawyers for Fox and Warners that a series of 1990s contracts between Fox and "Watchmen" producer Larry Gordon are so open to interpretation that...

A roundup of entertainment headlines for Monday. Amy Adams will play Lois Lane in Zack Snyder's "Superman" movie. ( Los Angeles Times ) In other Zack Snyder news: Fanboys flocked to "Sucker Punch" this weekend. Everyone else stayed far, far away. ( Los Angeles Times ) Hip-hop radio host DJ Megatron was shot dead near his home Sunday morning, according to police. ( Huffington Post ) Simon Cowell's "X Factor" auditions swing through L.A. -- finally, a creative outlet for Angelenos!

Tough guys do dance and sing. With two of Hollywood's biggest manly men now starring in the same film, there's a good chance that some of their male fans secretly wish they were seeing Wolverine versus Maximus. Instead, Hugh Jackman and Russell Crowe are foes in a battle of song in the musical “Les Misérables.” While both actors have made their mark playing heroes boasting super strength and bravado, plenty of moviegoers were surprised to see them singing operatic style with equal passion and grandeur.

Jeff Robinov is the anti-mogul. In an industry full of oversized personalities, he is a soft-spoken, austere and mercurial figure who works in an undecorated office and rarely smiles. Though his job depends on relationships, the president of the Warner Bros. motion picture group is uncomfortable with schmoozing, public speaking and filmmakers pitching ideas in person. And while many studio executives thrive on self-promotion, Robinov describes himself as "misunderstood. " Yet by the end of this week, the 52-year-old will wield one of the most powerful tools in show business: final authority to say what movies get made and to manage the $2 billion to $3 billion allocated each year to make and market movies at Time Warner Inc.-owned Warner Bros.

What we'll talk about in 2009: NBC's late-night shift. Jay Leno's moving into prime time. Is NBC overplaying its hand? Clobbering David Letterman in the ratings is one thing, but can Leno really topple "CSI: Miami" and "CSI: New York"? Can those monologues beat even "Private Practice"? A 6th "Harry Potter" movie. It will be seven months until the release of "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince." Can the hype for the next Potter film eclipse the ear-ringing caused by "Twilight" fans in 2008?