Shane Black Will Direct Doc Savage

After demolishing the box office this weekend with Iron Man 3, director Shane Black is a hot commodity right now and is likely seeing scripts piling up on his desk at an alarming rate. Though he can easily make any film he chooses at this point in time, the project that he has settled on for his next outing will be Doc Savage, a film he will make for Sony.

Black wrote the film back in 2009 and signed on to direct in 2010. So what’s taken so long, you ask? Well, the studio decided to allow Black to go off and make Iron Man 3 first before having him work on Doc Savage. Check out Black’s comment below on the situation:

“As ‘Iron Man’ wound down I sort of reconnected with Sony who have been gracious to say, ‘We’ll wait a year and sit on these rights until you’re finished with this other picture that we don’t control.’ So they were really cool about it, they were really nice. So yeah I’m back on it.”

Seeing as the director/writer has been linked to this one for a while now, this news isn’t exactly anything new or exciting, but it’s more just a reminder that yes, Shane Black will indeed direct Doc Savage and it will be his next film.

For those unfamiliar with the project, check out the official summary below:

One of the most popular characters of the pulps of the 1930s and 40s, Doc Savage was also popularized on radio, film and television. He is a scientist, physician, adventurer, inventor, explorer and researcher. He has been trained since birth to be nearly superhuman in every way, with outstanding strength, a photographic memory, and vast knowledge and intelligence. He uses his skills and powers to punish evil wherever in the world he finds it.

Personally, I’m not at all familiar with the source material, so I can’t comment too much on that front. As for Black, I can safely say that I’m a fan. Sure, Iron Man 3 was going to be successful no matter what, but the director definitely had a big hand in the film’s success and in making it one of Marvel’s best efforts yet, at least in this writer’s opinion.

Of course, we can’t forget that Black also wrote the Lethal Weapon films, so he’s certainly a proven talent at this point. With Tony Stark’s third outing under his belt though, he’s hotter than ever and hopefully Doc Savage will lead to more success for him.