If Drew Pearce Were To Make A PUNISHER Series/One-Shot, What Comics Would Influence Him?

I think you'd agree that James Gunn is one of the few people involved with Marvel Studios, to make the time to interact with fans. Another person who is always in active dialog with the fan base is writer and director Drew Pearce (Iron Man 3, Sherlock Holmes 3, Mission: Impossible 5) . If you don't remember, Drew co-wrote Iron Man 3 with Shane Black and directed the All Hail The King One-Shot (which he also wrote) short which teased the real Mandarin and setup Luke Cage's Seagate Prison. Pearce also penned the script for The Runaways movie that was effectively put into development limbo.



Drew sneakily added a small Easter Egg to All Hail The King, which hinted to villains and mob families connected to Frank Castle. Seagate Prison is currently holding a mob boss responsible for the murder of his family. Pearce has responded to the possibility of doing work on something involved with The Punisher. Pointing-out a preference to the runs from Gregg Rucka and Matt Fraction. Along with mentioning the backstory of Rachel Cole, Frank's recent sidekick. This is by no means confirmation he is or will be doing this in the future, but it's lovely to hear that Pearce doesn't hate the idea.

@_ChristopherM The Rucka and Fraction runs are the ones I'd be really into. Love the Cole storyline (and the way Checchetto draws Frank).
— Drew Pearce (@mrdrewpearce) September 16, 2014

At this point, we have zero indication that Marvel will indeed move forward with a Punisher series or even One-Shot, but the fan demand in clearly there. Even with the Russo Brothers jokingly mentioning someone being behind the wheel in a couple of scenes of Captain America: The Winter Soldier being a strong candidate for a One-Shot. Most assume they are speaking of Frank Castle, but could be just a joke from the comedic filmmakers.

"The man who drives that truck," Joe deadpans, joking that the driver is a candidate for a future Marvel One-Shot, "Is very highly trained. He thinks on his own terms. He's got a plan and a very specific skill set." 

I wouldn't be too shocked if saw a pre-tragic Frank being a special ops operator in the former SHIELD, in the third Captain America film. Castle has ties to both Fury/Rogers and anything is possible, now that Marvel is able to use characters where ever they want. Another possibility is showing-up in the Netflix series, Daredevil making the most sense. A lot of people are expecting a Punisher series being considered for a second wave of Netflix shows.

We've had a couple of actors even try to put their name into consideration. Frank Grillo wanted a shot, but that might be an issue as he's already played villain Brock Rumlow (Crossbones) in Winter Soldier. Another actor is a bit more unlikely, as Milo Ventimiglia (Gamer, Pathology, Heroes) took to Twitter and reveal his campaign for the role. There has even been calls to bring back Thomas Jane or Ray Stevenson, but I'm not sure that's the best idea.

I personally think that Marvel should be targeting actors like Dylan McDermott (Olympus Has Fallen, Survivor, American Horror Story, Hamburger Hill, In The Line Of Fire). Someone that is well known from film work, but isn't opposed to doing a Netflix series (or cameos). Dylan's work on the Vietnam action flick Hamburger Hill, might help fans sign-on to the idea. It doesn't hurt he's been playing bad guys lately in movies like Olympus Has Fallen. He's also proved with American Horror Story he can handle dramatic roles as well.






A couple of other actors I wouldn't getting into the mix, would be Clive Owen (Children of Men, Bourne Identity, Inside Man, Killer Elite, The Driver, Sin City, Shoot 'Em Up) or Superman candidate Joe Manganiello (True Blood, Sabotage, Magic Mike, Spider-Man). Owen would mean we'll have a third foreign actor playing Castle, which I'm not opposed to. However, it's likely the reason people champion Thomas Jane for the role.



SOURCE: TWITTER

IRON MAN 3 Scribe Drew Pearce To Rewrite GODZILLA

Variety reports that screenwriter Drew Pearce will add rewrites to Gareth Edwards' (Monsters) Godzilla reboot for Legendary Pictures/Warner Bros. Drew is best known for writing for Marvel's Iron Man 3 and Runaways along with Sherlock Holmes 3. David Callaham (The Expendables), David S. Goyer (The Dark Knight) and Max Borenstein (The Seventh Son) had been previously working on the script.

Guy Ritchie To Direct 'TREASURE ISLAND'

Deadline reports that Guy Ritchie has finally announced his next directorial effort as he's signed on to direct and produce a new adaptation of the Robert Louis Stevenson pirate classic Treasure Island. Warner Bros. hopes Ritchie can work his magic on Treasure Island as he did with Sherlock Holmes, who can blame them since it's one of the more interesting franchises of recent memory. The only problem is that these sort of projects set on the high-seas are wildly extensive and can be disastrous at the box office. Pirates seemingly had an edge thanks in part to Johnny Depp's Jack Sparrow. It'll be difficult to see how Ritchie will be able to cast someone to give the same iconic energy to the morally ambiguous Long John Silver and the young Jim Hawkins. The last time Ritchie made an island themed feature we ended up with a remake of Swept Away starring his then wife Madonna which almost ruined his career, as the film was poorly received. It look Guy a couple of films (Sherlock Holmes) before he could shake off the stigma that the remake had done. Hopefully this round he'll be very careful with cast choices.

It seemed to be a toss up to what Ritchie was going to make next with Sherlock Holmes 3 going under script development by Drew Pearce (Iron Man 3, Runaways) but Robert Downey Jr. is slowing things down action film-wise after Iron Man 3. The Man From U.N.C.L.E., a 60's era spy adventure film that Guy became producer of when director Steven Soderberg left the project. His sequel to RockNRolla titled The Real RockNRolla had been long in development but with the original cast in such high demand it would be difficult to wrangle them back. Not to mention a string of previous projects he had been linked to such as Lobo, Sgt. Rock, Xerxes (300: Battle of Artemisia) and a remake of The Dirty Dozen.

Guy Ritchie Gives A Real RockNRolla Update

Guy Ritchie is become a staple director at Warner Bros. handling their Sherlock Holmes franchise and is in talks for their 60's era spy blockbuster The Man From UNCLE. Ritchie talked to MovieLine and revealed the status of his sequel to RockNRolla that had the working title of The Real RockNRolla. The sequel had been teased at the end of the first film and fans have actively waiting for Guy to finally get around to making it.

"You know, I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about it! I’ve written a script, I think it’s a great script, and Joel [Silver] wants to pay for me to do it. But up until now we haven’t had the time to do it," Ritchie said. "It’s sitting there and we’d all like to do it, it’s just a question of when we’re going to fit it in. So we’ll wait and see."

Luckily, RockNRolla had been a Warner Bros. film with studio producer Joel Silver also involved. Silver is also working with Ritchie on his Sherlock Holmes franchise. It seems like RDJ is keen on taking a bit of break from Holmes even if the studio is currently writing a third film. So like I've said previously he could end up making two films between Sherlock Holmes 2 and 3. The only thing that could derail The Real RockNRolla is possibly The Man From UNCLE and it's sequels. Also, the cast of the original seems to be blowing up on their own. It might be hard to lock in Gerard Butler, Idris Elba, Tom Hardy, Mark Strong and Toby Kebbell for the sequel.

Guy Ritchie Will Likely Direct The Man From UNCLE

Deadline reports that Warner Bros. in talks with Guy Ritchie (Lock Stock, RockNRolla, Snatch) to direct The Man From UNCLE. The project was written by screenwriter Scott Z. Burns and previously had Steven Soderbergh as it's director which is based on the classic 60's spy television show. The project seemed to come to halt when the studio and Steven couldn't work out the casting and it's budget. I'm sure with this news casting announcements won't be far behind.

Ritchie has been a loyal director for the studio helming two Sherlock Holmes installments with a third in the works. However, Robert Downey Jr. has stated recently with his new baby on the way he would be slowing down big projects. This could mean that Guy would have time to fit in a couple of films before we see Sherlock Holmes 3 go into production. It's also expected that UNCLE could become a new franchise for the studio similar to Mission Impossible. That would mean Ritchie might have agreed to make sequels if the first film is successful.

Warner Bros. Looking To Hire Writer For Sherlock Holmes 3

It looks like Warner Bros. is hot on their Sherlock Holmes franchise as Deadline reports that they're moving forward with the third installment. The second film Game Of Shadows hasn't even hit theaters but the studio is looking to hire Drew Pearce to pen Sherlock Holmes 3. Pearce recently co-wrote the Iron Man 3 script with director Shane Black. Also, writing The Runaways script for Marvel Studios.

It seems like a good way to push forward a solid trilogy before the heat wears off and director Guy Ritchie looses interest. Ritchie's many other film projects [The Real RockNRolla, Lobo, Dirty Dozen, Sgt. Rock] have been put on hold because of the Holmes series. Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law have previously stated they'd both be on board for a trilogy. It's currently unknown if either Noomi Rapace or Rachel McAdams would be returning for the next installment.

When Will We See Guy Ritchie's The Real RockNRolla?

 The article on the site that gets the most traffic and comments is the one focusing on Guy Ritchie's The Real RockNRolla. It's been promised ever since the original theatrical release of RockNRolla and it was even teased in the credits. Since then Guy Ritchie has been focused on many other projects. I'm going to run down what those movies are and the prospects of when we could expect Ritchie to start production on the RockNRolla sequel.

When it comes to Ritchie's current project he is shooting Sherlock Holmes 2 with Robert Downey Jr. The now established franchise is giving Guy more commercial success than he's ever had before. I expect like with other dedicated Warner Bros. directors (Nolan, Snyder) he will be rewarded with financing for his original projects. The only setback is that he might want to round out a Holmes trilogy before jumping into anything else. I wouldn't be shocked to see Sherlock Holmes 3 his next film.

Guy's previously attached projects could also become a hold up on The Real RockNRolla. He's been in talks with producer Joel Silver to helm both Lobo and Sgt. Rock which are based on the DC comics.
The studio had filmed test shots for Lobo with Jeffery Dean Morgan (Watchmen) and possibly Clancy Brown (Highlander, Starship Troopers). Sgt. Rock is also in development hell and is being re-tool from being set during WWII to the future. I'm not sure if the productions stopped because of Holmes 2 or the fact the characters were taken from Silver by DC Entertainment.


Ritchie has also been attached to direct remakes of the Dirty Dozen and Excalibur for the studio. From what I understand Dozen got the axe because of Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds. I'm sure it will eventually happen but needs time between the Tarantino film.

Excalibur was once part of Bryan Singer's long list of projects in the works. He's been focused on Jack The Giant Killer which made opt out on directing X-Men First Class. Giving Matthew Vaughn the chance to finally show us his version of the X-Men universe. It would be interesting to see Ritchie take on the world of fantasy.


Another dreaded obstacle could be Ritchie signing onto new projects. Mark Millar teased that Ritchie along with Sam Raimi had been interested in making a movie based on his comic Nemesis. The project now has Tony Scott in the director's chair setup at 20th Century Fox. It's not surprising to see his name involved with Millar's projects since Kick-Ass director Matthew Vaughn is a friend and producer of Guy's films. Vaughn helped produce Lock Stock, Snatch and Swept Away. Millar is now teasing that his new comic Superior will become a film. Superior is a mix of iconic comic book mythology taking influences from Superman, Thor and Shazam!. The comic writer says the director would be announced in January. There is a possibility Guy Ritchie very well could be this name.

A very doubtful but still possible project could be Iron Man 3. It's unlikely because of Guy's current relationship with both DC and Warner Bros. Yet Robert Downey Jr. has director approval and could choose someone he's worked with before.

There could also be other unnamed projects which come up and he signs on. My expectations is that while The Real RockNRolla script is more than likely completed Guy could focus more on his high profile projects first. I wouldn't assume to see it go into production until 2012-2013 at the earliest. While there is enough of a demand from fans of the original he is sort of moving forward with different types of films. You can't blame him for wanting to expand his genres and can respect wanting to try different things.