After showing his videogame influences in the Sundance coming-of-age hit The Kings of Summer, director Jordan Vogt-Roberts is immersing himself directly into that world with his follow-up. According to Deadline, he’s set to direct an adaptation of Metal Gear Solid over at Sony, coming from producers Avi Arad and Michael De Luca. Created by Hideo Kojima, the Playstation bestseller follows Solid Snake and his covert operations as part of a special forces unit. This seems like a big of a jump in scope as Vogt-Roberts’ fellow Sundance alum Colin Trevorrow and his forthcoming Jurassic World, so let’s hope both are up to the task. There’s no word on a writer or cast yet, so don’t expect this one for awhile.
In other tentpole news, Marvel may not have found a replacement for Ant-Man yet, but they’ve just set a helmer for Doctor Strange. Variety reports that Scott Derrickson is in talks to helm the film, with the Sinister director confirming via a tweet. Set to be his next film, it’ll follow a neurosurgeon that went on to become a mystical defender of Earth, with rumors ranging from Joseph Gordon-Levitt to, most recently, Jared Leto. If reports of Marvel’s increased emphasis on homogenization are true, we have to say there’s mixed feelings when it comes to the director attachment, but hopefully Derrickson can have a decent amount of control here.
Lastly, it doesn’t involve superheroes or videogame characters, but Gavin O’Connor has found a new project, according to Variety. The Warrior helmer is putting the finishing touches on his western Jane Got a Gun and he’s now been set to direct the action adventure feature Massacre in the Himalayas. Telling the story of Freddie Wilkinson’s 2013 Men’s Journal article, it follows a group of mountain climbers who attempt to conquer a K2 summit located in Pakistan but are confronted by terrorists, resulting in 11 deaths. It certainly sounds like strong, intense source material and a writer search is currently underway.
Which of the above projects are you most looking forward to?