What We Learned About 'Predator,' 'Doc Savage' From Shane Black's Latest Interview
Shane Black (Photo: Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images)
Shane Black, screenwriter of Lethal Weapon, The Last Boy Scout, and Last Action Hero, and writer/director of Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and Iron Man 3, has given Thrillist the lowdown on three big projects now on his plate. After a lull from the late ‘90s to 2005, Black is busy again, a sought-after scribe capable of bringing his own idiosyncratic voice to larger-than-life genre movies. His upcoming slate starts with Russell Crowe-Ryan Gosling noir buddy comedy The Nice Guys, which Black wrote and directed (it’ll be out on May 20), with a revival of the Predator series and a proposed Doc Savage film also in the works. Here’s what jumped out at us from his latest chat.
He’d be open to making more Marvel movies, if given the opportunity.
Black’s work has gone a long way toward shaping the modern action-blockbuster style – equal parts chaotic gunfights, huge explosions, and bickering-buddy dialogue and one-liners – which made him an ideal fit for Iron Man 3. And he tells Thrillist he’d be up for working on a Marvel project again. “[After Iron Man 3,] Marvel already had their movies lined up. They’ve got directors for the next three, and one’s already prepping. So it was clear that after Iron Man 3, I don’t think there was going to be an Iron Man 4. Certainly it wasn’t planned until, like, 2020, so there wasn’t any point in addressing it. The Avengers was all Joss Whedon, and Thor was Alan Taylor. If they ever call me, I’ll be happy to take that call.”
Related: Robert Downey Jr.: No Plans for ‘Iron Man 4′
He’s not involved with the forthcoming Lethal Weapon TV series.
Black first rose to the screenwriting A-list thanks to 1987’s Lethal Weapon. Despite having created the series (he also penned the story for 1989’s Lethal Weapon 2), he won’t have any role with its small-screen iteration. “Lethal Weapon, in 1985, that’s 30 years ago, so that’s pretty much something at this point [that’s] not even on my radar.”
His upcoming The Predator is aiming for gargantuan blockbuster scale.
Black co-starred in 1987’s original Predator, even though he turned down Fox’s offer to do rewrites on the film. Now, however, he’s going to resurrect the franchise with a top-secret reboot that he agreed to write and direct only after hearing that the studio wanted it to be BIG. “They said, ‘What if we said to you we want to reinvent this, and really treat it with as much of an event status, or as much hoopla as we would the Alien prequel, which is coming out also? We really want to make this something. The kind of movie that people line up for.’ I said, ‘Really, you’ll spend a bunch of money?’ They go, ‘Yep.’ I go, ‘Make it really scale, spectacle?’ ‘Yep.’ ‘S–t, that sounds interesting.’ ”
Related: Fox Rebooting ‘Predator’ With Shane Black
Arnold Schwarzenegger may yet be involved in The Predator.
When asked if Predator’s original star, Arnold Schwarzenegger, will return for more alien-killing duties, Black played coy – suggesting that there’s still a chance the star might revisit one of his signature franchises. “Still in talks, script still a secret,” Black said.
He’s lining up Dwayne Johnson for Doc Savage, if the star’s schedule ever lightens up.
Black first wrote a screenplay treatment for an adaptation of Doc Savage – a genius/explorer/adventurer who was popular in ‘30s-‘40s pulp magazines – back in 2009. However, only now is the film seemingly moving forward, provided he can find time to snag his coveted leading man, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson,” whose current schedule (which includes Baywatch Rampage, Fast and Furious 8, and San Andreas) is a bit overstuffed. “Doc Savage is sort of in the ether now. We’re hoping to make it sometime next year. I would very much like to do Doc with a fellow named Dwayne Johnson if we can make that work. I made a decision that Dwayne is the guy. It’s on the back burner while he’s busy.”
Watch a trailer for Shane Black’s ‘The Nice Guys’ with Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling:
