Overlord director Julius Avery has signed on to direct Sylvester Stallone in the superhero movie Samaritan. The film was originally announced earlier this year, though it was up in the air whether it was moving forward. Avery’s hiring is a great sign and a smart move.
The film is a thriller about a young boy on a mission to discover whether a mythic superhero, who vanished 20 years earlier following a tragic event, is still alive. Bragi F. Schut (Escape Room) has written the script. It will be the first project for Stallone’s new company Balboa Productions, and he is producing alongside Braden Aftergood.
Stallone is known to star in some crap nowadays, but when he’s with the right director he can still go. His performance in Ryan Coogler‘s Creed and his brief moments in James Gunn‘s Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2 are proof of that. Hopefully Avery can bring out the same passion and drive as those guys did. He’s certainly got an intriguing premise to work with.
Avery’s Overlord didn’t perform particularly well at the box office, but critics and audiences ate it up. It should lead him to bigger projects like this. He’s already got another superhero movie lined up in the form of The Heavy at J.J. Abrams‘ Bad Robot. Alongside that he also has the crime drama The King Of LA lined up at Ridley Scott‘s Scott Free.
Samaritan will be his next project though. Production will begin early next year. If you want a hit of Stallone prior to that, he’s currently starring in Rambo: Last Blood. He’s also developing a movie about boxer Jack Johnson, the first black heavyweight champion.
#Peace.Love.Samaritan
