Marvel’s Iron Fist Moves Forward with xXx Screenwriter

After its first try stalled in development years ago, Marvel Studios is finally going forward on a feature film based on Iron Fist and has hired the writer of the original Vin Diesel xXx film Rich Wilkes to draft the script, according to Deadline.

For those of you not comically minded, the Iron Fist is a martial arts expert whose epic battle with a dragon leaves him with indestructible hands after he plunged them into the dragons molten heart. The Iron Fist comics began in the 70’s (during the martial arts film craze) by the team of Ray Thomas and Gil Kane. It was brought to Artisan for a feature film as a vehicle for martial arts expert and X-Men villian Ray Park, but stalled along the way.

Although Marvel Studios still has a pre-existing deal with Paramount for most of its major characters, it seems to be intent on bringing some of their lesser known properties to film. Thanks to Marvel’s partnership with Disney, Marvel President of Production Kevin Feige has recaptured the rights to many wayward properties like Iron Fist and Dr. Strange (which has Conan screenwriters Thomas Donnelly and Joshua Oppenheimer) back into the fold.  Both Iron Fist and Dr. Strange will be distributed by Disney.

No word yet on when either film will go before cameras, but at least this is a fresh start for both potential franchises.