In 2005 one of the most underrated films of the last 20 years was released entitled “Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang.” Starring Robert Downey Jr. and Val Kilmer, this neo-noir buddy-detectives Christmas movie went very much under the radar. It also contained some of the tightest and funniest banter you’ll ever see. This is unsurprising though if you know the writer/director Shane Black, and that he’d previously written “Lethal Weapon” and “The Last Boy Scout.” Giving that dialogue to Robert Downey Jr. though was a fantastic pairing, and it’s about to happen again thanks to Prime Video.
From 1962 to 2008, author Donald E. Westlake wrote a series of novels under the pseudonym Richard Stark. The “Parker” series centers on a ruthless criminal, known only as Parker, and has previously been brought to cinema screens in a variety of films including “Payback” with Mel Gibson in 1999, and “Parker” starring Jason Statham in 2013.
Reports indicate Amazon Studios is looking to revitalize the character with Shane Black writing, and Downey starring.
One could assume that Black would be directing, but his role in that capacity has produced diminishing returns over time. While “Iron Man 3″ was a critical [Editor’s note: no, no it was not] and commercial success, his follow up project “The Nice Guys” didn’t fare nearly as well. It was however, a brilliantly funny and witty buddy detective film that critics adored but audiences slept on.
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And then there was 2018’s “The Predator.” Along with being a huge disappointment, Black became embroiled in a controversy. Actress Olivia Munn discovered Black hired a friend for a minor part in the film. The friend in question was a registered sex offender, who had tried to solicit a sexual meet-up with an underage girl via email. With that level of baggage, it’s hard to say if they’ll let Black do anything more than write this one.
As for Downey Jr., well, let’s just say his career hasn’t been soaring high following his departure from his role as Iron Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. His only film since “Avengers: Endgame” was 2020’s “Dolittle.” Which, living up to its name, did very little to win over audiences and critics. The film received extremely poor reviews and bombed at the box office.
We’ll keep you updated on this “Parker” project as more information becomes available. We’re eager to see RDJ return to the limelight in a project that utilizes his talents either comedic or dramatic.
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