Shane Black Bringing ‘Doc Savage’ Back To The Big Screen?

Posted by Rob Hunter (rob@filmschoolrejects.com) on October 24, 2009

Who’s excited to finally see a brand new Doc Savage movie up on the big screen?

Anyone? No one? Oh wait, Harry Knowles is! Normally at this point I would poke fun at his enthusiasm for questionable motion pictures, but after reading his post over at AICN this morning I’m actually almost as jazzed about it as he is. (Were I equally as jazzed as Harry I would have spelled ‘jazzed’ slightly differently.)

Per AICN, a new Doc Savage adventure is moving forward with Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci serving as producers. And no, that’s not what turned me on. The exciting part of the news is that the duo has brought on Shane Black to write the film’s screenplay. Black is best known for writing the Lethal Weapon series, The Monster Squad, The Last Boy Scout, and The Long Kiss Goodnight. But he should be better known for writing and directing the phenomenal Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang.

Doc Savage is a pulp comic hero from the thirties and forties who transitioned into other mediums including radio and one feature film and also made a return to print in the sixties with a series of adventure novels. Per Wikipedia, the good doctor…

…was a physician, surgeon, scientist, adventurer, inventor, explorer, researcher, and, as revealed in The Devil Genghis, 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.”

Ignoring the fact that a seemingly invincible and perfect genius makes for an incredibly boring character, there’s obviously a lot that can be done here adventure-wise. Savage also has a team of buddies known as The Fabulous Five, each with their own area of expertise. Again, ignoring the fact that a know-it-all like Doc Savage wouldn’t need anyone else’s expertise, a bad-ass team like this is always fun to watch in action as they walk in slow-motion towards the camera.

Knowles asked Black if he plans on updating Savage’s adventures to present day, and he replied in the negative saying the character cannot be seperated from the 1930’s. Black plans on incorporating Savage and The Fabulous Five into an original story, and while I have faith in him I can’t help but see visions of The Phantom and The Shadow dancing through my head.

Are you familiar with Doc Savage? Are you sad that Arnold Schwarzenegger is no longer available for the role?

Read more articles by Rob Hunter