Marvel has begun development on “Iron Fist,” hiring “xXx” scribe Rich Wilkes to pen the screenplay.
The move follows news earlier this spring that Marvel was planning a run of lower-budgeted films for their second-tier comic characters with names such as Ka-Zar, Power Pack & Luke Cage being knocked around as potential characters to get their own film. The film will mark the second project put into development following their purchase by Disney, with the first being “Dr. Strange.” The project gained “Conan” writers Thomas Donnelly and Joshua Oppenheimer back in June.
Don’t expect a big summer tentpole out of this one. The approach will be low-budget ($20-40 million), likely with B-list actors and directors joining the gig. Wilkes’ name should actually be a good indication of the direction the project will go. He hasn’t really done anything of note outside the “xXx” franchise (he did write the Motley Crue biopic “The Dirt” but that is pretty much stuck in development hell) and moreover, he probably wasn’t too expensive for the studio to hire.
And while it might seem a bit risky to put a film about second-tier, lesser known comic character into development, don’t be surprised if more famous characters from Marvel’s universe stop by for a visit. We’re a bit surprised to see Marvel getting these characters into development so quickly, but we imagine Disney is ready to start seeing a return on their expensive investment. [Deadline]