Iron Man 3 director Shane Black is officially set to direct the big screen adaptation of Doc Savage for Sony Pictures. He was actually supposed to direct the film a few years ago, but it was obviously put on the backburner. Black did a fantastic job with Iron Man 3, and I'm excited to see him take on Doc Savage next!
He co-wrote the script with Anthony Bagarozzi and Charles Mondry. Savage is one of the most popular characters in the pulps of the 1930s and '40s. The character was also popularized on radio, film, and TV. Trained since birth to be nearly superhuman in every way, Doc Savage uses his skills and powers to fight evil all over the world.
Doc Savage's real name was Clark Savage, Jr. He was a physician, surgeon, scientist, adventurer, inventor, explorer, researcher, and 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." Author Lester Dent described his creation as a mix of Sherlock Holmes' deductive abilities, Tarzan's outstanding physical abilities, Craig Kennedy's scientific education, and Abraham Lincoln's goodness. Dent described Doc Savage as manifesting "Christliness." Doc's character and world-view are displayed in his oath, which goes as follows:
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.
The character has potential to be an epic movie franchise! He's a little bit of James Bond, Indiana Jones, and Ethan Hunt rolled into one. I think audiences will love this franchise. I'm confident Black will do some amazing things with it, he a collector and fan of these pulp fiction stories, so I'm sure he'll want to make sure it's done right.
Columbia production president Hannah Minghella had this to say in a statement,
We couldn’t be more excited to be building a franchise from the ground up with Shane and this team. Shane and Neal have a fantastic understanding of the character and a great take on the material and we can’t wait to get this production up and running.