Shane Black promises a faithful yet more cerebral version of Doc Savage

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

With IRON MAN 3’s huge box office, Shane Black is finally getting the chance to make his dream project a reality: the DOC SAVAGE movie. The pulp fiction character is INDIANA JONES meets James Bond and Sherlock Holmes. He has not had a proper studio adventure in decades and has floundered in development hell until Black finally got him on track at Sony.

That was back in May right after IRON MAN 3 debuted. Now, Shane Black is sharing some more details on the developing project and told IGN about the changes he has planned for the classic character:

“Obviously in the books, there’s an element of goodie-goodie that we like. But that kind of perfect hero who never makes mistakes is great to a point, and the type of adventure and pulp it represents is so imitated… We needed something more cerebral.”

“We’ve beefed up the rationale behind what it would take to be the perfect person and to be trained as such from childhood and how that would scar someone and what it would take to be a parent who is capable of inflicting that on a kid. But beyond that, we’re also trying to be true to the series.”

As you can see above, DOC SAVAGE has a very unique physical appearance. What does that mean for potential actors to play the hero?

“They kind of gotta be tall. He’s the perfect physical specimen and when people look at him, they’re overawed by the sort of symmetry and perfection he exudes. You need someone magnetic and someone a little but off because that’s the fun of the character. He’s been secluded from people and kept from any social niceties for so long that he’s become a savant.”

It sounds like a lot of Tony Stark will inhabit the role, but that also sounds quite a bit like Benedict Cumberbatch‘s take on Sherlock Holmes on the BBC series SHERLOCK. I am not sure I can picture someone who could take on that role that hasn’t already played a similar character already. But, this is also not a part for a younger actor. I trust that Shane Black will find someone with enough acting ability and physical presence to take on the part. Maybe his IRON MAN 3 cast-member James Badge Dale?