Shane Black to direct pulp adventure ‘The Destroyer’ for Sony

Shane Black is shaping up to be Sony Pictures’ go-to guy for pulp adventures.

Last year Black signed on to make a movie based on the old-school hero Doc Savage for the studio, and now he’s set to direct “The Destroyer” as well, an adaptation of the long-running adventure book series by Warren Murphy.

“The Destroyer” tells the story of Remo Williams, a Newark cop who is framed, sentenced to death and resurrected after a botched execution so he can serve as an operative for a top-secret government agency. He’s accompanied by a seemingly ageless Asian assassin (and source of comic relief) known as Chiun.

Black will direct from a script by Jim Uhls, who wrote the adaptation of “Fight Club,” and James Mullaney, who co-authored and became the sole writer of “The Destroyer” until the series’ end in 2008. Charles Roven, Steven Chasman, and Andy Horwitz are producing.

Michael DeLuca, president of production for Columbia Pictures, said in a statement, “‘The Destroyer’ is a two-fisted classic and deserves no less than the genius of Shane Black.” He added, “We couldn’t be more excited about his vision for this character.”

With credits including “Lethal Weapon,” “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang” and “Iron Man 3,” Black is known for blending action with dark humor and smart-alecky dialogue, so “The Destroyer” should be right in his wheelhouse.

An in-demand director since the blockbuster success of “Iron Man 3,” Black has a busy slate at the moment. In addition to “The Destroyer” and “Doc Savage,” he’s also attached to the neo-noir “The Nice Guys” at Warner Bros. and a “Predator” movie at Fox.

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