Pretty people, samurai swords, and dragons... what's not to love?

Incorporating all those things and more, Zack Snyder's newest, Sucker Punch, is due out next month. Starring Emily Browning (Violet from Lemony Snicket, all grown up), Sucker Punch tells the story of a young girl institutionalized by her evil stepfather who uses an alternate reality adventure as her means of escape. Along with her friends (played by Abbie Cornish, Jena Malone, Jamie Chung, and Vanessa Hudgens) they go on an action-adventure fantasy quest to gain their (metaphorical? literal?) freedom. Bad guys include Carla Gugino (Watchmen, Sin CIty) and Jon Hamm (Mad Men).

Zack Snyder, who both wrote and directed Sucker Punch, does beautiful films. Even those who didn't love Watchmen, or 300, must admit that they are visually amazing. Sucker Punch, which has been called "Alice in Wonderland with machine guns" by Snyder himself, promises to deliver visually. How he does with the story remains to be seen, however. His other screenwriting credit was for 300, but that was an adaptation from a comic. And stunning as his films are, they have not been known for story - yet. This is Snyder's first original writing credit for a feature film, having conceived the story and written it from start to finish, and fans are eagerly awaiting a true Zack Snyder film.

And for this film in particular fans have been waiting a long time. First rumored in 2007, Sucker Punch was put on the back burner when Snyder got the opportunity to do the film adaptation of the much-beloved comic Watchmen. Then, when casting began in 2009, some big names associated with the project traded out due to scheduling conflicts: Amanda Seyfried had to turn down the lead role of Babydoll due to conflicts with her Big Love filming schedule; Evan Rachel Wood had conflicts with True Blood and reportedly turned down the role of Rocket.

In an interview with omgmusic.com, Vanessa Hudgens (Blondie) says that her character is a "super-awesome girl-power type" and that while this is a departure for the Disney star, she is confident that her fans will enjoy it. How much of a departure? "Let's just say I have a Tomahawk fight sequence. It's pretty cool."

See the trailer here.

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