After a long time, it’s official – it’ll be ‘Rock’ Savage as the pulp action hero heads back to the big screen with Dwayne Johnson and director Shane Black…
It’s been rumoured for some time, but now it appears the ink is dry and the deal is done. Doc Savage will be returning to the big screen and he’ll do so in the form of Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson and under the direction of Shane Black. The character, who first appeared in the pulp novels of the 1930s/1940s – created by publisher Henry W. Ralston, editor John L. Nanovic and main writer Lester Dent – memorably appeared in Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze in 1977, portrayed by Ron Ely. A sequel was mooted but never appeared, despite the cult reaction that the initial release quickly gained. Since then, many an A-List director has been linked with bringing the character back and exploring the hero who pre-dates the likes of Superman and other familiar ‘superheroes’… but for one reason or another it never happened.
In 2013, Black and SONY came to a deal for him to write and direct the film and it was believed things would move quickly. However, while seen as a project that all parties wanted to find momentum with, it wasn’t fast-tracked as discussions swirled about the size of the budget … Black had other projects first, including tv movie Edge, the recently-released The Good Guys and he’s attached to The Predator due in 2018. Actors such as Chris Hemsworth were in the running for the title role. But, equally, one candidate Dwayne Johnson was also busy: he had the Ballers tv series, the upcoming comedy Central Intelligence, an ongoing commitment to the Fast & Furious franchise and filming on the Baywatch movie to name but a handful. But over the Memorial Day weekend, Johnson and Black and writers Anthony Bagarozzi and Chuck Mondry met in LA to go through ideas and make the news official.
Johnson ‘Instagram‘d’ the news and photo (below) with an explanation about why he liked the character and had seized the opportunity. It certainly gives an idea of his enthusiasm for the role, though it will be some time before we can see what the tone of the production will be and if that transfers into a dynamic reintroduction to the character for a whole new generation. There’s no formal start-date, specific release date or news of other cast members as yet…
“It’s OFFICIAL: For all comic book fans you already know the world’s first superhero (pre-dating Superman) is the “Man of Bronze” himself Clark “Doc” Savage. Want to thank my bud director/writer Shane Black and his writing team Anthony Bagarozzi and Chuck Mondry for flying in from LA and sitting with me and our @sevenbucksprod’s producer @hhgarcia41 on this Memorial Day weekend to chop up creative and break story on this very cool project. Comic book fans around the world know that the cool thing about “Doc” Savage is that he’s the inspiration for Superman. First name Clark, called “Man of Bronze”, retreats to his “Fortress of Solitude” in the Arctic etc etc. Doc was physically and mentally trained from birth by his father and a team of scientists to become the perfect human specimen with a genius level intellect. His heightened senses are beyond comprehension. He can even identify a women’s perfume from half a mile away. He is literally the master of everything. But here’s the #1 reason I’m excited to become Doc Savage.. HE’S A F*CKING HILARIOUS WEIRDO! Confidently, yet innocently he has zero social graces whatsoever due to his upbringing so every interaction he has with someone is direct, odd, often uncomfortable and amazingly hilarious. After speaking for hours w/ Shane Black I can see why the creator of Superman took only the best parts of Doc Savage and leaving the “weirdo” part behind. But to us, it’s that “weirdo” part that makes Clark “Doc” Savage dope! Can’t wait to sink my teeth into this one of a kind character. #ItsOfficial #WorldsFirstSuperhero #GeniusIntellect #PhysicalSpecimen #FnLoveableWeirdo #DocSavage”
