Sony Pictures has picked up a package that has Shane Black writing and directing a “testosterone-fueled” adaptation of Don Pendleton’s “The Executioner” books. Joel Silver is producing.
“The Executioner” series is a hard-edged pulp collection following Mack Bolan, a former sniper who becomes a lone-wolf warrior. Each instalment threw him into action-packed confrontations with whatever threats dominated the times—organized crime, Soviet agents, terrorist groups, cybercriminals, etc.
No casting details on this one. It seems to be very much in development, but it could be Black’s next film.
I like Shane Black, but his last film, “Play Dirty,” wasn’t very good. Mark Wahlberg replaced the original lead — and Black muse — Robert Downey Jr., which felt like a downgrade. Reviews were very mixed — It also went straight to streaming on Prime Video.
“Play Dirty” was actually Black’s first film since 2018’s “The Predator,” a disastrous production plagued by studio interference, reshoots, delays, and an entire third act rewritten mid-shoot. Suffice it to say, this was not the comeback he had hoped for.
Black started his career as a 27-year-old whiz-kid screenwriter with “Lethal Weapon,” “The Last Boy Scout,” “The Last Action Hero,” and “The Long Kiss Goodnight.” His directorial debut, 2005’s “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang,” has become a cult favorite, as has 2016’s “The Nice Guys.”