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Rich Wilkes (XxX) has been hired to write a brand new screenplay for a proposed Iron Fist movie. With last year's acquisition of Marvel Comics by Walt Disney, if the Iron Fist movie gets to the greenlight stage it will be made by Disney. We imagine that the deal for Ray Park to star as the superhero is likely old news and no longer applicable. [Full story]

Our scoop informant Dark Thunder returns with a status update on the Iron Fist film. Minor SPOILERS follow concerning the movie's Iron Fist effect:

"The production office is on hiatus as of last week. I saw some designs yesterday for the 'Iron Fist' effect, and it is very different than the comic's glowing red fist/comet tail effect. It's very pyrotechnic, involving Danny Rand's entire body morphing and going through some kind of transformation, almost as if it's painful. The one board I saw of Ray Park's character had him dressed in a long black trenchcoat, reminiscent of Neo from The Matrix. I can't say if he will be costumed in that manner throughout the film or if it was just for that specific sequence."

Coming Attractions has received an exclusive scoop from inside the production and the decisions being made on the picture's storyline. Here's what we've been told by our source, who we've codenamed "Dark Thunder":

• Ray Park is definitely attached to the project, but the film itself has not been given a greenlight by Artisan yet. This meshes with what Ray Park told the audience at last weekend's event. No other roles have been cast.
• Script revisions are still being received on a regular basis.
• Misty Knight, Danny Rand's African-American girlfriend from the Iron Fist comics, is a featured character in the movie's script. Ward Meachum, who was the comic book character responsible for the death of Danny Rand's parents, is the film's main villain. In the screenplay, Meacham is being conceptualized as a crippled and deformed character with automated metallic limbs.
• The present plans are for Danny Rand to not appear in the comic book's Iron Fist costume. Again, this meshes with what Park told the audience.
• The film's fight scenes are focusing on standard hand-to-hand martial arts action, with Danny's "Iron Fist" effect being kept to a minimum. "When it does occur, it is used spectacularly," says Dark Thunder.
• One of the action sequences involves Danny and Misty Knight battling armed ninja-like assasssins through a maze of moving trains.
• Because of cost considerations, some of the scripted scenes involving the mystical city of K'un L'un and the origin scene where Danny and his parents are on a caravan through the Himalayas are being trimmed and referred to in flashbacks.

Last Saturday Ray Park talked about his upcoming role in Iron Fist at the Great American Comic Book Expo and Countingdown.com delivered the goods to the online masses about what Park said. The actor said that the plan is to have his Iron Fist character won't appear in the comic book costume, but instead in a robe that represents the temple he was trained at. However, Danny Rand will sport the famous "Iron Fist" dragon tattoo on the character's chest.

Park was enthusiastic about the movie project because, he told the crowd, Iron Fist might be his "vehicle". "It's my Terminator," Park told the audience, referring to the James Cameron movie which launched Arnold Schwarzenegger's career into the stratosphere.  

Kirk Wong (The Big Hit) has been tapped to direct Iron Fist. Wong has also directed many Hong Kong action films including Crime Story with Jackie Chan. Principal photography is scheduled to commence late this year or early in 2002.

Marvel had a big poster at the NYC licensing show touting their slate for TV and film through 2004 and the end of time...this film appears on there with a 2003.

Comics2Film caught up with John Turman, the screenwriter of Artisan's upcoming Iron Fist movie and landed a great update as to the current status of the movie. C2F creator Rob Worley interviewed Turman and not only got the goods about where Iron Fist is now, but Turman also let loose with some minor spoiler information about what direction the movie's Iron Fist costume may look like; how Turman's meeting with Ray Park will help the writer pen the screenplay; and what kind of fights audiences can expect to see when it comes out.

Get your iron fix and read the interview.

A scooper sent in a bit that appeared in Ray Park's official newsletter that Park will be using his own voice for the character, which makes sense. Also, there was this interesting bit:

"We are working with Marvel and Artisan on some very cool stuff surrounding the new movie. Too early to say anything yet as the script has not even been written. The movie will begin filming early this year and we will continue to bring you up to the minute news on the movie as we get it."

Which means Turman is pounding those keys, doesn't it?

Today's Hollywood Reporter reports that Ray Park has officially signed to star in Iron Fist. Although no official announcement has yet appeared on Park's website, Reporter's story meshes with last week's report that first appeared on IGN FilmForce.

Yesterday IGN FilmForce reported that Ray Park has officially signed a contract to play Marvel Comics' martial arts superhero Iron Fist. The website quoted a source close to the production as saying Park has committed to star in the project, and that an official statement will be forthcoming from Artisan in the new year.

FilmForce also confirmed John Turman as the screenwriter for Iron Fist. Turman has written for UPN's recently cancelled series Freedom and also been a script consultant on the syndicated series The Crow: Stairway to Heaven. He's also worked with Marvel Comics' projects in the past: Turman wrote two feature length screenplays that were never produced, including The Incredible Hulk and The Silver Surfer.

Coming Attractions has been told that Ray Park, star of Star Wars, Episode One: The Phantom Menace and X-Men, has meet for preliminary talks to play the role of Iron Fist. Our scooper told us Artisan has met with the actor but first the studio needs to lock down a screenwriter for the picture, yet they remain "very interested" in doing this film with Park playing the title role.

In a huge announcement last month, Marvel and Artisan partnered to bring a veritable cornucopia of Marvel properties to the big screen. According to Entertainment Weekly, this is listed as one of the first to get a crack at the silver screen. Artisan is even now fielding calls from screenwriters wanting to take up pen for this project.