We’ve known for a while that Marvel was slowly formulating plans to exploit some of its lesser-known heroes in lower budget movies. Now it appears that, following word that Dr Strange will go into development, another of them is gearing up, as the company has hired xXx writer Rich Wilkes to work on the script for **Iron Fist.
Birthed by Roy Thomas and Gil Kane back in the 1970s (at the height of kung fu’s heyday in the West), Iron Fist is Daniel Rand, a man who discovered the mystical city of K’un-L’un when he was a child. He returns as an adult, but after a tragedy in which his wife and son perish he’s helped by the natives and introduced to a martial arts master named Lei Kung, who discovers that he has an aptitude for fighting. After he defeats the dragon Shou-Lao, he plunges his hands into the creature’s heart, forging his hands into nearly indestructible weapons.
This is not the first time the Fist has tried to make the jump to the screen, since Marvel took a stab at the character years ago in conjunction with Artisan, developing a film based around Ray Park.
Now Kevin Feige and co have nabbed the rights to the Fist, he’ll make his way through development hell for Disney.