Director Shane Black has expressed his desire to return to his unmade Doc Savage movie, which was once being developed with Dwayne Johnson as the тιтular pulp hero. Initially announced in 2010, Black’s plans to revive the classic 1930s character from comics and pulp novels would eventually land Johnson, who publicly announced his involvement as the Man of Bronze in 2016.

Depicted as a scientist, explorer, and fearless warrior, Clark “Doc” Savage predates Superman as comic hero and has often been described as the forerunner to the age of superheroes. Over the years, multiple film projects have attempted to bring the character to life on screen, although only 1975’s Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze would ever reach completion.

Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, Black revealed that while his plans for a Doc Savage movie never made it through to production, he would still like to revisit the project. He did, however, suggest that the difficulty lies in the character not being a household name, and it is “much easier to fund something… if it has Batman or Superman attached.”

As for his potential casting, Black is unsure of who would replace Johnson, who now appears to have moved on from superhero roles. Describing the movie as a 1930s period piece with a minimum $150 million budget, Black suggests that the lead actor would “have to be someone compelling enough to get the studio to loosen up those purse strings.”

The Difficulties In Casting Doc Savage

It is surprising, however, that Black did not elect to circle back to his original preferred casting for the role. In an earlier 2013 interview with IGN, prior to the announcement of Johnson’s involvement, the director had previously singled out Avengers star Chris Hemsworth as an ideal candidate to play Savage.

While Black may be unsure of who he would select to replace Johnson, over the years, Doc Savage has previously attracted interest from several big-name action stars, including Terminator’s Arnold Schwarzenegger. Initially reported to be in the running for the role in the late 1990s, this earlier project would later fall by the wayside when he was elected governor of California.

With the property plagued with such a long history of failed attempts to bring the character back to the screen, Black may find it difficult to convince potential studios to move forward with his take on a new Doc Savage movie. However, as he suggests, any likelihood of resurrecting the project will hinge on which actor is selected to tackle the role.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter