Iron Man 3 Director Shares New Update on Long-Awaited Superhero Movie

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Iron Man 3 director Shane Black still really wants to make a Doc Savage movie someday.

I’ve been a fan of Shane Black for ages! Before he started directing, he wrote the scripts for classics like Lethal Weapon back in 1987 and Last Action Hero in ’93. But it was really cool to see him step behind the camera for the first time with Kiss Kiss Bang Bang in 2005. He’s consistently delivered since then – I loved Iron Man 3 (2013), The Nice Guys (2016) was hilarious, and The Predator (2018) was a fun ride. Now, I’m super excited for his newest film, Play Dirty, coming out in 2025!

More than a decade ago, Black reached an agreement with Sony Pictures to create a Doc Savage movie. Dwayne Johnson was initially set to play the lead role; however, the project was unfortunately never completed.

What did Iron Man 3’s Shane Black say about his Doc Savage movie?

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Black expressed his continued interest in directing a Doc Savage movie sometime down the line.

“I’ve always loved Doc Savage. It’s based on ‘30s pulp, and he was the OG superhero. His name was Clark [Savage Jr.], and he was literally described as a ‘super man.’ So the first Doc Savage [in 1933] was before Clark Kent/Superman [in 1938]. He was the inspiration behind a generation of comic books and pulps and wonderful shit. So I would love, at some point, to revisit that,” Black explained. “The problem is that the IP is not a household name. It’s much easier to fund something at that level of expense if it has Batman or Superman attached, as opposed to something that is going to be just as expensive and is less of a household name.”

When questioned about potential actors for the role of Doc Savage, considering Johnson appears to be stepping back from superhero films, Black responded, “I’m not sure. The challenge is finding someone who would convince a studio to invest at least $150 million in the project. Doc Savage’s story encompasses a vast world of adventure, and it’s set in the 1930s. I’d prefer to stay true to that era. So, I’m thinking about how to make it happen, but I haven’t identified an actor yet. It would need to be someone incredibly captivating to persuade the studio to allocate a substantial budget.”

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2025-10-03 22:07