Iron Man 3 Director Shane Black Set To Helm Doc Savage Movie Adaption For Sony

Shane Black has been making waves recently after directing and co-writing Marvel's first Phase 2 film; Iron Man 3. While the director's best known for his work writing for such action films as Lethal Weapon, Last Action Hero, and The Last Boy Scout, and his directional debut Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, it seems he'll now be continuing his streak of comic book adaptions with a film adaption of classic pulp character Doc Savage for Sony.

According to Variety Black has signed on to direct the Doc Savage film for Sony which will most likely kick off a franchise, and he's also set to co-write with Anthony Bagarozzi and Chuck Mondry. While Black has stated his interest in making a Doc Savage film in the past, it seems his recent success both critically and financially with Iron Man 3 has finally pushed Sony into kicking the project into gear with Black at the helm.

With some many comic book characters getting their own films recently, it was only a matter of time before we would begin to see studios adapt pulp comic characters too. Disney and Gore Verbinski's adaption of The Lone Ranger is a already proof that big studios are looking to classic pulp characters for blockbuster films. Other studios are already attempting to do the same with the all new reboot Zorro Reborn starring Gael Garcia Bernal set to be released next year from Fox, and David Yate's upcoming Warner Bros. Tarzan film starring Alexander Skarsgard which is still facing production issues. It still remains unknown whether Savage will be modernized or will remain as a period piece in the 1930s time period that the comics were originally published in. But given Black's track record it's pretty hard to imagine a Savage film that won't be very action or comedy based coming from his writing and direction.

For those who aren't familiar with the Doc Savage character here's his brief character bio:

Doc Savage's real name was Clark Savage, Jr. He was a physician, surgeon, scientist, adventurer, inventor, explorer, researcher, and, as revealed in The Polar Treasure, a musician. A team of scientists assembled by his father deliberately trained his mind and body to near superhuman abilities almost from birth, giving him great strength and endurance, a photographic memory, a mastery of the martial arts, and vast knowledge of the sciences. Doc is also a master of disguise and an excellent imitator of voices. "He rights wrongs and punishes evildoers." Dent described the hero as a mix of Sherlock Holmes' deductive abilities, Tarzan's outstanding physical abilities, Craig Kennedy's scientific education, and Abraham Lincoln's goodness.

It's also worth noting that the Doc Savage adventure novels served as a basis for the Indiana Jones character and his adventures. Now if Shane Black's adaption turns out to be a success, it'll be interesting to see whether it opens the door for any other pulp comic characters such as The Phantom (Who already received a pretty embarrassing adaption starring Billy Zane), The Avenger, The Shadow, Spider, or even if it can help get Fox to set David Yate's Tarzan film into production. We can probably expect Black to cast a well known leading star as Savage, and I could personally see Aaron Eckhart (Battle: Los Angeles, Olympus Has Fallen) as a good fit for the part.

So what do you think of Shane Black directing the Doc Savage film? Who do you think should play Savage?