'Doc Savage' movie coming…

According to Harry Knowles over at AINT IT COOL, he ran into Shane Black and word is Black is working on a DOC SAVAGE script for Orci & Kurtzman. Orci and Kurtzman you’ll remember as the guys who gave us 2 of ‘09’s biggest movies, STAR TREK and TRANSFORMERS 2. Bit of a quality differential there but no one is perfect.

Shane Black however has a more consistent resume. Aside from the LEATHAL WEAPON series, he also wrote 3 of my favorite movies. THE LAST BOYSCOUT, THE MONSTER SQUAD, and KISS KISS BANG BANG. If you haven’t seen the latter you need to. Despite roles as Batman and Iron Man, when I see Val Kilmer and Downey I think of KISS KISS. I thought Black, who wrote and directed really captured the pulp noir genre there. And with a little luck, he’ll do it again here.

If you’re not familiar with Doc Savage, he is a pulp era hero that predates Batman and Superman. He is Sherlock Holmes and Tarzan rolled into one. He has an Arctic hideout called the ‘Fortress of Solitude’ and a Bruce Wayne sized bank account, which would lead me to believe there were most likely some old pulp magazines lying around DC’s head office back in the day.

Savage starred in 181 novels from 1933 till 1949, so there is plenty of story arc to draw upon. When asked if Black planned to modernize the character he told Knowles ‘the character can’t be separated from the 30s’. That is good news from where I sit.

Now about 10 years back there were rumors of this happening with Schwarzenegger to star, that seems unlikely now, but we’ll try to keep up on development as it progresses.

“Let me strive every moment of my life to make myself better and better, to the best of my ability, that all may profit by it. Let me think of the right and lend all my assistance to those who need it, with no regard for anything but justice. Let me take what comes with a smile, without loss of courage. Let me be considerate of my country, of my fellow citizens and my associates in everything I say and do. Let me do right to all, and wrong no man."