From Iron Man To The Man Of Bronze: Shane Black Making ‘Doc Savage’ Movie Next
By BAADASSSSS!
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Monday, May 13th, 2013 at 12:15 pm
In less than a month, Iron Man 3 has grossed over $800 million worldwide. Not only does this continue to bode well for the future of Marvel Studios’ theatrical output, but it also means that director Shane Black, who rose to prominence in the film industry for writing some of the most entertaining action movies of all time and for also writing and directing the utterly brilliant 2005 neo-noir spoof Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (which first teamed him with Iron Man 3 star Robert Downey Jr. and is totally wild and hilarious and WHY THE HELL AREN’T YOU WATCHING IT RIGHT F***ING NOW?!), can now pretty do whatever his twisted genius heart desires.
With that in mind, Black is finally getting to make that Doc Savage movie he has been attached to since long before he signed on to make the latest installment in Marvel’s first movie franchise.
Doc Savage is a legendary heroic adventurer of pulp fiction who made his first appearance in March 1933 in the pages of his own magazine. Savage is a man of many talents: among being extraordinarily strong and intelligent and possessing bronzed skin, he is also a physician, surgeon, scientist, inventor, explorer, researcher, and an accomplished musician. He is accompanied on his many colorful adventures by a team of assistants with various useful talents and names like Monk, Ham, and Long Tom. Doc Savage’s exploits have been chronicled over eight decades in a vast franchise of books, comics, radio shows, and even an ill-received 1975 film produced by George Pal (War of the Worlds) and directed by Michael Anderson (Logan’s Run).
The character has been highly influential on great fictional heroes that followed in the wake of his success from Superman to Buckaroo Banzai. You could even say that there is a little of the Doc in Tony Stark. Black is co-writing the script for Doc Savage with Anthony Bagarozzi and Charles Mondry. Neal H. Moritz, Ori Marmur, and Michael Uslan will produce the movie. Black hopes to make it his next feature.
I feel like faithful adaptations of earlier pulp heroes don’t fare as well as movies. Forgive me if I miss anything but I’m thinking Dick Tracy, the Spirit, the Phantom, the Shadow, the Rocketeer, etc. Green Hornet was okay but they deviated a great deal from source material. Wonder what Shane Black has in store for Doc Savage but (no matter how much $ Iron Man 3 makes) I suspect it won’t be as well received if he doesn’t bring the character into the present somehow.
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Students of the Unusual™ comic cover used with permission of 3BoysProductions
The Mercuri Bros.™ comic cover used with permission of Prodigal Son Press
I feel like faithful adaptations of earlier pulp heroes don’t fare as well as movies. Forgive me if I miss anything but I’m thinking Dick Tracy, the Spirit, the Phantom, the Shadow, the Rocketeer, etc. Green Hornet was okay but they deviated a great deal from source material. Wonder what Shane Black has in store for Doc Savage but (no matter how much $ Iron Man 3 makes) I suspect it won’t be as well received if he doesn’t bring the character into the present somehow.
Comment by PAUL — May 14, 2013 @ 9:00 am
Doc Savage does not have skin made of bronze. The Man of Bronze title refers to him being outdoorsy and deeply tanned.
Comment by David Keith — May 14, 2013 @ 9:43 am