Action hero Remo Williams returning to the big screen….
Deadline’s Mike Fleming hears that screenwriter-turned-director Shane Black (‘Iron Man 3,’ ‘Kiss, Kiss, Bang Bang,’ ‘Lethal Weapon’) has closed a deal to take the director’s chair for ‘The Destroyer,’ a big screen adaptation of Warren Murphy’s adventure book series.
The story follows Newark cop Remo Williams, a man sentenced to death and then resurrected following a botched execution. Given a second lease on life, he serves in the enforcement arm of the clandestine U.S. government agency CURE Teamed with an Asian assassin, he cleans up and eliminates those who oppose America’s interests.
Fred Ward (‘Tremors’) played Williams in the 1986 ‘Remo: Unarmed and Dangerous.’ The film, directed by Guy Hamilton, was the first in a proposed franchise but it bombed at the box office.
“Shane has been a fan of the original Destroyer book series since its inception and he has an incredible vision for this film,” said producer Charles Roven. “We couldn’t be more fortunate to be working with this talented director on this material. The narrative Jim and James have created is incredibly rich and while it’s a story rooted in adventure, it is also very much character driven.”
Steven Chasman and Andy Horwitz are producing alongside Roven, with Michael De Luca and Lauren Abrahams overseeing development.