We’ll say it: Timur Bekmambetov is probably one of the most powerful foreign directors plying a trade in Hollywood today. With the hugely successful Russian-borne “Night Watch” franchise behind him and having earned major confidence in Hollywood with “Wanted,” Bekmambetov has wasted no time in adding a flurry of projects to his slate, leaving us scrambling to figure out just what the man is actually attached to.
Feel free to add another property to the mix, as Variety reports that Bekmambetov is currently in talks to supply American moviegoers with an English-language remake of Russia’s newest hit, the blockbuster “Black Lightning.” The film, which Bekmambetov described as “a Slavic ‘Transformers’ meets ‘Batman,’ about a car-mad student who supertunes an old Soviet sedan and runs up against the criminal underground,” did fantastic business in Russia with a $20 mil box office gross. The trailer for the film dropped a while ago (you can check it out below) and showed a serviceable action flick with all the requisite Hollywood elements and a serious resemblance to the first “Spiderman” film. Bekmambetov is currently set to produce the pic along with Chris Weitz (“New Moon,” “About A Boy”).
“Black Lightning” aside, projects involving Bekmambetov either as producer or potential director keep on trucking. Most recently, we reported that Bekmambetov had lost out to Sam Raimi to direct the Robert Downer Jr.-starring “Oz” prequel (though with Raimi not yet confirmed, who knows, it could come back to Bekmambetov). This leaves the inevitable “Wanted 2,” though he may not direct it, as well as the new “20,000 Leagues Under The Sea,” to which he has been attached but not yet confirmed. The same goes for Disney’s developing “Jungle Cruise” project, according to Deadline.
