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Shane Black Writing a Doc Savage Script for Kurtzman/Orci

by Alex Billington
October 25, 2009
Source: Ain't It Cool News

Anyone a big fan of the 1930's pulp comics character Doc Savage created by Henry W. Ralston? According to Ain't It Cool News, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang screenwriter Shane Black will be writing a Doc Savage script for Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman (Eagle Eye, Star Trek) to produce. Harry Knowles ran into Shane at a party recently in Austin and was told by Black that "he is preparing to write the script." Apparently a Doc Savage movie has been in development for a long time without much real progress, but with Black on-board working on a new screenplay, and with Kurtzman/Orci producing, it may actually get somewhere this time.

Harry also asked Black if they were modernizing the character. Shane's response was that "the character can not be separated from the 30s." He also added that, "he has decided that Doc needs to have his Fabulous Five. It will be an original Doc Savage story that attempts to encapsulate the feeling of the whole collection of Lester Dent's work. At one point nearly three years ago, we wrote that Sam Raimi was looking to bring back Doc Savage in a pulp adaptation that would also include The Shadow and The Avenger in one movie. My guess is that that fell apart and the rights somehow ended up in the hands of Kurtzman/Orci to produce.

In the pulp mags, Doc Savage 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. As long as they keep this story set in the 1930's, I'd love to see a big budget Doc Savage movie get made. Hopefully we'll get official confirmation soon.

Big Update: Harry Knowles just posted a correction on AICN, saying that he completely misheard Shane regarding who was producing. Kurtzman and Orci are not producing and are not involved, instead, it's Neal Moritz and Ori Marmur from Original Film that are producing for Sony Pictures. That's the only update he provides, although he also mentions that he hopes they're not considering Vin Diesel for the lead role. Moritz and Marmur are currently producing Battle: Los Angeles and also have The Green Hornet as well. I definitely trust that they'll do a good job bringing Doc Savage to big screen. We'll keep you updated!

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http://www.mkingscott.co.uk Mike Kingscott

Freakin' sweet! I love the film version of Doc Savage from, oh, the 60s / 70s, but I've not read the comics. But written by Shane Black? Count me in!
skipman

That would be Doc Savage Man of Bronze 1975 staring Ron Ely. I liked it too.
cineprog

I thought Doc Savage man of Bronze Starring Ron Ely was absalute Laugh and too far Fetched to laugh at in places the Story was weak. hope that if shane balck is wrighting the new scrip for this film it should be more serious than the Ron Ely film Doc Savage Man of Bronze 1975.
esophus

I'm just glad Kurtz and Orc are not writing it!
Todd G.

I talked to someone who also chatted with Shane and I am pretty sure Orci/Kurtzman weren't going to be involved?
tobi,leader of the akatsuki

doc savage the man of bronze is pretty fucking cool(the green snake scene & the fight scene at the end that uses all styles of fighting are classic.)can't wait for this.
http://joueur1.com Buzz de Geek

That's really great news, can't wait to see it. hopefully it will keep some of the cheesy touch from the original
mandarin

Jonas Venture!
A. Frohman

I'm just glad Harry was able to have this conversation with Shane at the Austin Film Festival this year.
d1rEct

To be perfectly honest Kiss Kiss Bang Bang didn't do much for me and I detest the work of Orci/Kurtzman however aslong as they are not writing I might take notice.
http://www.thepulp.net/ W.L.

Wanted to point out that it is not “pulp comics.” It's a common misconception that the pulps were comics. The pulp magazines were fiction magazines, with very limited illustrations inside and filled with short stories, novels and serialized stories. The first “official” pulp magazine was published in 1896 and they thrived as a popular, inexpensive entertainment source through the first 30 years of the 1900s. Comic books didn't appear until the mid-1930s (and then just reprinted the newspaper comic strips). Doc Savage predates (and influenced the development of) the superheroes of comic books by a half-dozen years. Beginning in 1933, the character appeared in monthly novels published in “Doc Savage Magazine.” Over 180 novels were published through 1949.