Next up for Shane Black: Doc Savage

[Nomad]

The story is here. I hope this will be a period piece, since I'm not sure Doc would work in a contemporary setting.

I also found out that a new Doc Savage novel, Skull Island was published a few months back. In it, Doc meets King Kong (this year is the 80th anniversary of the first appearance of both characters). I loved Doc Savage as a kid but haven't read any of the recent novels. This one sounds like fun.

 

[Out Of My Vulcan Mind]

They'll probably try to land Chris Hemsworth as Doc.

 

[RJDiogenes]

Interesting. I'm not sure if having a director of Iron Man excites me, but we'll see-- hopefully they'll focus less on action. And, yeah, it really needs to be a period piece. Luckily there have been a couple of those lately that have met with success, so it's possible they'll go that route.

 

[Nerys Myk]

Cool. I love Doc Savage and thought Iron Man 3 was a fun movie.

 

[Saga]

i too hope its a period piece. anytime they take a character like Doc Savage or the Shadow and put them in present day i'm just not that interested.

 

[Professor Zoom]

Interesting. I'm not sure if having a director of Iron Man excites me, but we'll see-- hopefully they'll focus less on action. And, yeah, it really needs to be a period piece. Luckily there have been a couple of those lately that have met with success, so it's possible they'll go that route.

I agree, should be a period piece. Though, outside of the Indiana Jones movies, I can't think of any period action film in the past 20 or so years that was financially successful. Which ones are you thinking of?

I guess the Mummy movies.... But, I think back to the Shadow, The Phantom, Sky Captain, The Rocketeer... while I like them, but none of them were successful.

 

[Out Of My Vulcan Mind]

^^^
If you include all period action films, not just those set in the 1930s, the POTC films and the Sherlock Holmes films have been recent box office hits. Captain America was also a good-sized hit.

 

[RJDiogenes]

Yes, I was thinking of Captain America and also X-Men: First Class. The Sherlock Holmes movies would count as well.

 

[AvBaur]

They'll probably try to land Chris Hemsworth as Doc.

That would be my guess, too. I really can't think of anywone else with the kind of starpower they probably want who would be right for the role as he has traditionally been portrayed.

Then again, this being Hollywood, they may well (try to) cast Tom Cruise or Will Smith...

 

[Melakon]

I hope they don't do it like George Pal's version, with music by John Philip Sousa.

 

[Captaindemotion]

Black is showing an interesting diversity in his work, even if there is a certain 'Shane Black' quality to all of them. From the hard-edged yet funny thriller of the original Lethal Weapon (he wasn't responsible for the sillier sequels), to the similar Last Boy Scout, to the amnesiac assassin/soccer mom Long Kiss Goodnight, then Kiss, Kiss, Bang Bang, which blended his wise-cracking buddy-buddy tendencies to a more pulpy feel.

And then, of course Iron Man 3. Now he's going to try Doc Savage, which could blend a little of IM3's heroics with the love of pulp which KKBB showed. He's been linked to this for a while, but it's obviously taken the success of IM3 to get it off the ground. I for one can't wait!

 

[Professor Zoom]

^^^
If you include all period action films, not just those set in the 1930s, the POTC films and the Sherlock Holmes films have been recent box office hits. Captain America was also a good-sized hit.

Yes, I was thinking of Captain America and also X-Men: First Class. The Sherlock Holmes movies would count as well.

Right. Duh. I think I didn't think of them because of they are filed in my head as super hero films or... existing things.

I hope it's period. Though, I could see a ... and I know people won't like this word... a reimagined Doc in the present day. I don't think it would be as fun... but...

And I wonder if Black would include the other guys. Personally, the few original books I've read of Savage, it always felt like one of them was stumped, until Doc figured it out for him. I would always think: are they here just to show how smart Doc is? For the most part they seemed as useful as Short Round.

 

[Captaindemotion]

I'm sort of assuming it will be period. Can't really see the appeal of a modern day version.

 

[RJDiogenes]

^^Me either, but I think that about Sherlock Holmes, too.

Right. Duh. I think I didn't think of them because of they are filed in my head as super hero films or... existing things.

 

[Out Of My Vulcan Mind]

Shane Black talked to Collider and briefly spoke about his Doc Savage adaptation. He confirmed that it's set in the 1930s.

 

[Enterprise is Great]

Awesome!

 

[RJDiogenes]

Indeed. I hope it turns out better than the Shadow movie.

 

[Saga]

Indeed. I hope it turns out better than the Shadow movie.

i hope it turns out better than the previous Doc Savage film.

 

[RJDiogenes]

Yikes. Good point.

 

[TemporalFlux]

Alan Moore's Tom Strong shows that Doc could work in a contemporary setting; they just have to make sure to update the world around him as well as the character himself.