Stan Lee’s ‘Annihilator’ has gotten a step closer to getting on the big screen. The newest superhero in Lee’s arsenal of work has just procured Barry Josephson as one of their producers.Josephson has been a producer for many television shows and films. Most recently he’s been working on Fox’s ‘Bones’ and was the producer of its short-lived spinoff series ‘The Finder’. He’s also produced ‘The Tick’, the ‘Fantasy Island’ reboot, the film ‘Wild Wild West’ and ‘Enchanted’.
This is big news for the project as the main job of a producer is to raise money to make the movie. While the film will be part funded by China’s National Film Capital, the estimated cost to produce ‘The Annihilator’ is estimated to be around $100-$150 million so Josephson has his work cut out for him.
Created by Lee, ‘The Annihilator’ has been in development since 2011 and was described by Lee as a “young Chinese man given a second chance as an international superhero who returns home to mete out justice.”
Dan Gilroy (‘The Bourne Legacy’, ‘Real Steel’) was hired to pen the screenplay that would introduce this newest superhero to movie audiences. Here’s how the press release describes the film:
ANNIHILATOR tells the story of a young Chinese expatriate, Ming, who must choose between remaining in prison or enlist in a secret US super soldier program. The program uses targeted genetic enhancements from various animal species. Ming chooses to undergo this nearly fatal procedure and through his extreme resolve, gained as a result of his family’s tradition of practicing Qijong and martial arts, he survives. Now, armed with remarkable abilities, he must confront a former rival with his own set of enhanced faculties. Our reluctant hero is forced not only to face his personal demons, but also to defeat the villain who will destroy everything that he knows and loves.
“Dan’s story and character is unlike anything I have developed before,” says Lee. “So I wait with intrigue as we begin to reveal more details about the ‘Annihilator’ franchise and to hear what audiences think as they immerse themselves into his world through the film.”
Josephson is excited about the upcoming project stating, “One of my dreams when I became a producer was to work with Stan Lee. Now with Dan Gilroy’s magnificent script, that dream will become a reality.”
The production company Magic Storm Entertainment, which was launched in 2011 to develop a slate of superhero films with global crossover appeal, is confident that ‘The Annihilator’ will have enough appeal with both American and Asian markets to launch a new superhero franchise. According to Eric Mica, CEO of Magic Storm, “Barry’s talents combined with Dan Gilroy’s explosive script makes Stan Lee’s treatment extremely powerful and a cornerstone for a unique franchise.”
It will be interesting to see how fans will take to this new international superhero. As usual, we’ll keep you posted on any noteworthy new developments concerning ‘The Annihilator’.
In the meantime, what are your thoughts? Is there room for another superhero franchise?
