'Doc Savage' - Shane Black to Direct

[Buscemi]

With Neal H. Mortiz (one of the worst producers in Hollywood right now) involved, expect someone like Channing Tatum in the lead in an attempt to appeal to younger audiences.

[cinemaphile]

I like the idea of Armie Hammer. He was excellent in Social Network, and though Lone Ranger had plenty of problems, Hammer was not one of them.
I'd like to see him finally break through in a successful lead role.

[cinemaphile]

Originally Posted by Buscemi

With Neal H. Mortiz (one of the worst producers in Hollywood right now) involved, expect someone like Channing Tatum in the lead in an attempt to appeal to younger audiences.

yeah those Fast & Furious movies were total flops!

[Buscemi]

Originally Posted by cinemaphile

yeah those Fast & Furious movies were total flops!

Not in a financial sense, a creative sense. With a few exceptions, the majority of his films are the epitome of what is wrong with Hollywood today.

[EricJ]

Originally Posted by cinemaphile

I don't know a single thing about Doc Savage - I've heard the name but know nothing about the character - but I will see anything at all that Shane Black has a hand in, and especially if he's at the helm.

Rumor has it that Race Bannon on the old Jonny Quest cartoon was "really" Doc Savage, and I'm not one to dispute uncanny resemblances.

Originally Posted by Phibes

Savage also suffered the same fate with the campy movie done in the 70s.

The 70's version came more like the limp Phantom movie than the cool over-the-top Shadow (or the goofy feel-good Remo Williams)--
Tried for 60's-Batman camp, but didn't quite know how to do it, tried for Flash Gordon iconic sentimentality, but didn't have enough labor-of-love to pay tribute, so....just kind of SAT there, while we still waited to find out who the heck the character was. Heck, even John Carter had a more interesting plot.

Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze (Original Theatrical Trailer) - YouTube

[Batman1980]

Well Shane Black kills my interest in this movie, his last project was absolutely horrible.

[cinemaphile]

Originally Posted by Darth Anakin

Well Shane Black kills my interest in this movie, his last project was absolutely horrible.

nah, Shane's 2-for-2 as director, and has a great (but not perfect) history as writer as well.

[Buscemi]

The main problem with Iron Man Three was that Black simply didn't understand the character (if anyone should have directed that film, it was John August) and basically made a Ghost Rider sequel instead of an Iron Man sequel. However, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and his screenwriting work is a good sign.

But as I said earlier, Neal H. Moritz as producer is a troubling sign.

[csdot]

Originally Posted by Buscemi

The main problem with Iron Man Three was that Black simply didn't understand the character (if anyone should have directed that film, it was John August) and basically made a Ghost Rider sequel instead of an Iron Man sequel. However, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and his screenwriting work is a good sign.

But as I said earlier, Neal H. Moritz as producer is a troubling sign.

a Ghost Rider sequel?
Black totally understood the character, its not his fault a lot of people who saw it dont and just wanted more of them same. what exactly did Stark do in the film that was out of character?
John August?? the writer of such classics as the Charlie's Angels movies and awful Tim Burton movies? no thanks.
must be trolling.

[pksmith74]

I am actually excited about this one. I remember watching Doc Savage: Man of Bronze years ago. I think it starred Tarzan's Ron Ely and I seem to remember some sort of supernatural snakes made an appearance. I could be mistaken though, it's been years!

[Walts Ghost]

Originally Posted by csdot

a Ghost Rider sequel?
Black totally understood the character, its not his fault a lot of people who saw it dont and just wanted more of them same. what exactly did Stark do in the film that was out of character?
John August?? the writer of such classics as the Charlie's Angels movies and awful Tim Burton movies? no thanks.
must be trolling.

Exactly my feelings on the third film as well. Well said.

[Buscemi]

Iron Man Three simply did not feel like an Iron Man film. There's none of the charm or humor (and most of the cast is just there for a paycheck). It's simply an excuse to sell toys. As for the villains, the trailers specifically set up The Mandarin (a story that was built up as far back as the first film) but instead we got roided-up zombies that should be a B-plot to a bad TV show.

As for my suggestion of August, he did script doctoring on the first (and best) Iron Man film and directed The Nines (which containing one of the few good Ryan Reynolds performances and was a well-received film). If you want someone to replace Favreau, pick someone who at least has had a hand in shaping the character rather than one who tries to make him something that he's not.

[Walts Ghost]

Originally Posted by Buscemi

Iron Man Three simply did not feel like an Iron Man film. There's none of the charm or humor (and most of the cast is just there for a paycheck). It's simply an excuse to sell toys. As for the villains, the trailers specifically set up The Mandarin (a story that was built up as far back as the first film) but instead we got roided-up zombies that should be a B-plot to a bad TV show.

As for my suggestion of August, he did script doctoring on the first (and best) Iron Man film and directed The Nines (which containing one of the few good Ryan Reynolds performances and was a well-received film). If you want someone to replace Favreau, pick someone who at least has had a hand in shaping the character rather than one who tries to make him something that he's not.

Black helped on the first two 'Iron Man' films, which Favreau has talked about numerous times, where he helped them with character beats and plot points they couldn't get through. As for not feeling like an Iron Man film, all I ask is...How? It felt exactly like the next step for the character. It felt like Stark was pinned in a corner, with no way out. I like the Stark driven story, because at the end of the day, it's not the suit that makes the film, it's the man inside of it. There are plenty of Iron Man comics where Stark doesn't spend all his time in the suit, and I'm glad they made that a point in this film.

As for the Mandarin, it was exactly as it should have been played. The idea that he was created by a think tank, feeding off the racist fears of the world, and trying to scare them into submission is perfect for the Marvel cinematic universe. The actor that fronted the character was played for a joke, and I didn't mind that, because the character itself, before that happened, was still a creepy and scary front. It's a perfectly rendered version of the character for this world.

I guess I just learned to take things as they're given. I think Marvel has done a great job bringing their characters to life over the past seven years. They've found a way to strike a balance for fans of the characters, while introducing them to the masses in a new way. Your milage may vary, but I think their last three films are the best of the bunch, and as the studio matures, so has the filmmaking process, and they've turned out great films because of it.

[Buscemi]

It didn't feel like an Iron Man because Stark doesn't have the personality or humor from the previous films (when he had Favreau directing him and the two worked on parts of the script). He's simply there to serve as a body to fill the suit.

As for The Mandarin, why simply make him a puppet for a group of generic villains? It's a complete cheat for something we've waited five years for (they set him up to be Iron Man's ultimate battle) and the real villains are some of the worst since the villains in Hancock.

[Walts Ghost]

Originally Posted by Buscemi

It didn't feel like an Iron Man because Stark doesn't have the personality or humor from the previous films (when he had Favreau directing him and the two worked on parts of the script). He's simply there to serve as a body to fill the suit.

As for The Mandarin, why simply make him a puppet for a group of generic villains? It's a complete cheat for something we've waited five years for (they set him up to be Iron Man's ultimate battle) and the real villains are some of the worst since the villains in Hancock.

I thought Stark has all the same personality and humor, even more so, than in the other two. I like all the films, but the problems with the first two is that they didn't really have scripts going in. They were sort of made on the fly, which is painfully obvious when watching the first now. That doesn't make it bad, far from it. But I think the third film is a better film because it feels like the most well put together of the bunch. Again, this is just my opinion.

As far as the Mandarin goes, I know fans were waiting for it, but I knew it wouldn't happen how it was in the comics. There was no way they could bring that version of the character to life that way he was originally written. But, doing it the way they did makes sense for modern times, especially the idea that he was a front, just a face of a group that. We dealt with that on our own as a country over a decade ago, and I think that's why it worked for me. It felt real. But, in the end, I'm just happy we got a solid trilogy, at least in my eyes, of Iron Man films, which isn't something I can say about most comic book trilogies.

[csdot]

Stark was mostly the same as far as the humor and attitude aside from him suffering after effects of the battle in New York which was part off the plot. I had no problem with Guy Pearce being the real Mandarin and it made it that much more poignant that he was originally behind the events of the first film. His revenge was long in the making.

[Walts Ghost]

Originally Posted by csdot

Stark was mostly the same as far as the humor and attitude aside from him suffering after effects of the battle in New York which was part off the plot. I had no problem with Guy Pearce being the real Mandarin and it made it that much more poignant that he was originally behind the events of the first film. His revenge was long in the making.

Definitely agree with this as well.

[EricJ]

Originally Posted by csdot

Stark was mostly the same as far as the humor and attitude aside from him suffering after effects of the battle in New York which was part off the plot. I had no problem with Guy Pearce being the real Mandarin and it made it that much more poignant that he was originally behind the events of the first film. His revenge was long in the making.

Neither one had power rings, though, which still made it seem like they were last-minute cramming the "But he HAS to be in one of the films!" fan-favorite villain into somebody else's comic-based story, like Venom popping up in the last half hour of Spiderman 3 while he still had time to appear in it.
IM3 was basically "We're doing the big, hit current Extremis graphic-novel story!....Uh, oh, yeah, but the Mandarin's in it too, sorta."

(And I can appreciate that a Doc Savage thread would turn into an Iron Man 3 thread if we've heard more of the director than the character; it's just my fault that I got to watch the 70's movie on Warner Instant Archive.)

[P@t_Mtl]

I am not sure if this would be a movie that is accepted by the general public. I am a HUGE fan of Doc Savage, I actually have all the pulp novels and been reading them since the 70's. The trouble is that like many things from the 1920's to 1950's it look and sound cheesy to modern audiences. I hope it get's done, a fan of the 70's movie even with all of it's cheese

[csdot]

Originally Posted by EricJ

Neither one had power rings, though, which still made it seem like they were last-minute cramming the "But he HAS to be in one of the films!" fan-favorite villain into somebody else's comic-based story, like Venom popping up in the last half hour of Spiderman 3 while he still had time to appear in it.
IM3 was basically "We're doing the big, hit current Extremis graphic-novel story!....Uh, oh, yeah, but the Mandarin's in it too, sorta."

(And I can appreciate that a Doc Savage thread would turn into an Iron Man 3 thread if we've heard more of the director than the character; it's just my fault that I got to watch the 70's movie on Warner Instant Archive.)

Trevor's Mandarin had rings I don't know what movie you saw, and Extremis isn't current it was a huge influence on the first film 5 years ago so it's only fitting they went in that direction. I'm done defending IM3 to fans who can't accept that a movie isn't exactly what they wanted it to be this is a Doc Savage thread.