Netflix has done it once again. Having recently made a habit of plucking films such as The Cloverfield Paradox up from other studios, the streaming giant has now done the same thing for a project that has been in development for over a decade. Shane Black‘s Cold Warrior, having been in development at Universal, has found a new home at Netflix.
The news was first reported by Collider. Interestingly, Netflix reportedly quietly acquired the project last year, but it’s only being reported now, mere weeks before Black’s The Predator hits cinemas.
Originally written by Chuck Mondry, the script for Cold Warrior follows a retired cold war-era spy who teams up with a younger agent to track down a terrorist. It’s likely to assume that Black has taken a crack at the screenplay in the years the project has sat in development, considering his exquisite writing gifts.
It’s not clear whether Cold Warrior is intended to be his next film, as it’s simply a development title at Netflix, and not a ready-to-go film like some of the other projects they’ve previously acquired from other studios. Still, Netflix looks to have rescued a promising movie from development hell, and hopefully will give Black the creative freedom to make the project however he wants.
Michelle Manning and Anthony Bagarozzi are producing the film, and Manning has previously served as executive producer on Netflix’s Motley Crue biopic The Dirt, so she has a prior relationship with the streaming giant which probably helped when Netflix was acquiring the project.
Black has previously directed Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and The Nice Guys, while also penning the first three Lethal Weapon movies. The Predator has every chance of being the first truly great film of the franchise since the original 1987 film with him on board.
He’s probably heavily focused on that right now, but it’s possible in the coming months we will learn if Cold Warrior is indeed his next planned project.
#Peace.Love.ColdWarrior
