Shane Black

[MacGuffin]

Mel Gibson in talks to join 'Cold Warrior'
Spy thriller is from 'Lethal Weapon' writer Shane Black
Source: Hollywood Reporter

Mel Gibson is in negotiations to reteam with his "Lethal Weapon" scribe Shane Black for Universal's spy thriller "Cold Warrior."

Black, directing his second movie after 2005's "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang," is tackling a tale in which a Cold War spy (Gibson) comes out of retirement to confront a domestic terrorism threat from Russia by joining with a younger agent. Charles Mondry wrote the script.

The dealmaking is in the early stages, but it does further Gibson's plan to get back in front of the cameras. "Edge of Darkness," his first onscreen performance since 2002's "Signs," opens Friday,

Michelle Manning, David Greenblatt and Anthony Bagarozzi are producing "Cold Warrior."

The WME-repped Gibson has wrapped the Jodie Foster-directed black comedy "The Beaver" and is prepping to shoot Mexican prison-set thriller "How I Spent My Summer Vacation."

[Pas]

I just love Black but that synopsis sounds boring :-/

[modage]

Charles Mondry wrote the script.

Why the fuck would Shane Black NOT write the script?

[Gold Trumpet]

Charles Mondry wrote the script.

Why the fuck would Shane Black NOT write the script?

I wonder if Mondry wrote the script which was a standard thriller and Black has since added his own stylings to it. I can't see how he makes a film and completely leaves the script alone.

[pete]

he needs studio approval for his own project so he takes up this gig to establish a relationship with the studio?

[polkablues]

Likely he did his own pass at the script, but didn't change enough to get a credit, per WGA rules.

[MacGuffin]

Columbia revives Doc Savage
Pulp fiction hero was popular in the 1930s, '40s
Source: Variety

Columbia Pictures is set to return to the Bronze Age.

Studio is bringing Doc Savage -- known as the Man of Bronze and hero of pulp novels, films and comicbooks -- back to the bigscreen.

Shane Black is attached to direct the film from a screenplay he is penning with Anthony Bagarozzi and Chuck Mondry. Neal Moritz ("Fast and Furious") will produce through his Sony-based Original Film banner.

One of the most popular characters in the pulps of the 1930s and '40s, Doc Savage was also popularized on radio, film and TV. Trained since birth to be nearly superhuman in every way, Doc Savage uses his skills and powers to fight evil all over the world.

"Doc Savage is an icon, a character with limitless possibilities," said Columbia co-president Matt Tolmach of the character, who is by turns a scientist, physician, adventurer, inventor, explorer and researcher. "We have had a great experience working with Neal to bring another classic character of the era, the Green Hornet, to a new generation of fans, and we think he and Shane make the ideal team to bring Doc Savage back to the bigscreen."

Black, who was one of the highest-paid scribes of late '80s and early '90s when he penned such screenplays as "Lethal Weapon" and "The Long Kiss Goodnight," segued to directing in recent years. He made his helming debut with the Robert Downey Jr. starrer "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang" (2005).

He's also known for his vast collection of antique detective books and pulp fiction.

Bagarozzi and Mondry's credits include "Cold Warrior" and "Tick-Tock," which is in development at Columbia.

[Pas]

Who the hell is this Chuck Mondry who's writing 2 films for Shane Black?

He's never written anything, or apparently done anything for that matter: his imdb page is blank. That's weird. Who starts his career like that? Do you think it's a pen name for anyone else or does this stuff happens all the time?

[pete]

seems like he wrote a spec that got picked up but not produced so now they're bringing him to shane black's next project?  spec writers hitting the lottery used to be more common before franchise films became the norm.

[MacGuffin]

'Iron Man 3′ director Shane Black to make 'Doc Savage' — BREAKING
Source: EW

From Stark ... to Savage.

Shane Black, who is hot off the massive success of Iron Man 3, will co-write and direct an adventure film based on the 1930s and '40s pulp her Doc Savage, Sony Pictures has announced.

The studio said Black, whose previous films include Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and writing Lethal Weapon, is considering it as his next project.

But generations of genre fans might be forgiven for asking: Who is Doc Savage???

Although Doc Savage was a hit on radio and in pulp magazines and comic books, he has never had a successful film adaptation. After many false starts, Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze was finally produced in 1975 but was a critical and commercial flop. Subsequent efforts to resurrect him have also failed, even as other similar characters — such as Indiana Jones — became massively popular.

If Iron Man's Tony Stark is a self-described billionaire/playboy/philanthropist who fights corporate terrorists and alien invaders in his spare time, Doc Savage is a scientist/physician/inventor/explorer and all-around tough guy with near super-human intelligence.

Black has already co-written the script with Anthony Bagarozzi and Charles Mondry. Neal H. Moritz, best known for the Fast & Furious series, is producing the project with Ori Marmur (Battle: Los Angeles) and Michael Uslan (executive producer of The Dark Knight trilogy.)

"We couldn't be more excited to be building a franchise from the ground up with Shane and this team," Hannah Minghella, president of production for the studio, said in a statement. "Shane and Neal have a fantastic understanding of the character and a great take on the material and we can't wait to get this production up and running."

[MacGuffin]

Fox Rebooting 'Predator' With Shane Black (Exclusive)
The "Lethal Weapon" creator and "Iron Man 3" director will write the treatment and is attached to direct the project, which could relaunch the sci-fi action franchise.
Source: THR

The '80s action classic Predator is getting the reboot treatment from 20th Century Fox.

But before some purists cry foul, they should know that this reboot comes with an interesting attachment: Shane Black, the venerable screenwriter behind Lethal Weapon and writer-director of Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and Iron Man 3.

Black will write the treatment for the project, then will hand over scripting duties to Fred Dekker, his university chum with whom he wrote 1987's Monster Squad. Black will oversee the writing and is also attached to direct.

John Davis, who produced the original with Joel Silver and Lawrence Gordon, is producing the reboot.

Predator is the muscle-bound action 1987 movie that starred Arnold Schwarzenegger, Carl Weathers and Jesse Ventura as commandos being stalked in a jungle by a fearsome alien. John McTiernan directed the film, which was one of the movies that cemented Schwarzenegger's star power.

Black actually appeared in a minor role in the original movie and how he became involved is part of Hollywood lore.

When Predator was being made in 1986, Black was already a screenwriting prodigy for his Lethal Weapon and Monster Squad scripts. The studio and producers wanted him to polish the script for Predator, which was then in pre-production. Black turned it down. A few weeks later, they approached him again. Once more, Black said no. Another few weeks went by, and then the studio called again. This time, however, he was told there was a small role in the movie and asked whether he would like to have it. Black said yes.

When he arrived to the South American set, the studio execs and producers greeted him and said, "By the way, would you mind taking a look at the script?" Black replied, "I'm still not rewriting it."

Fox has found ways to keep Predator alive since its initial outing. There was a Schwarzenegger-less sequel, Predators, in 1990. Robert Rodriguez produced an installment of the franchise in 2010. Fox also combined it with its Alien franchise for a couple of Alien vs. Predator movies released in 2004 and 2007, respectively.

Fox exec Matt Reilly is overseeing the reboot. Davis Entertainment's Ira Napoliello is also overseeing.

This is proving to be a busy time for Black. He is trying to put together a cast for The Nice Guys, a 1970s crime movie that was originally earmarked for television. Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe are circling the project, which is being produced by Silver but has no home just yet, and that could shoot this fall.

Black is also very actively developing Doc Savage, the adaptation of the 1930s pulp hero for Sony. He recently met with Chris Hemsworth for the title role, but it's unclear when that project would shoot since it's still grappling with budgetary issues. Sony, however, does consider Savage one of its priorities.

Black is repped by WME, GreenLit Creative and Bloom Hergott.

Dekker, who directed Monster Squad as well as Robocop 3, is also repped by WME.