So close, Marvel, but also so far away.
Deadline reports that Drew Pearce is taking over the scripting duties for Iron Man 3. He’ll be working closely with Black, and starting from scratch.
It’s a weird bit of news, since three weeks ago Black confirmed that he was writing the script. Marvel hired him on the basis of his story pitch. Why the change-up? We’re not sure.
Pearce wasn’t just plucked from nowhere, though. He impressed Marvel immensely with his Runaways draft, and he’s been around the superhero block with the UK series No Heroics. (Some of our overseas friends will have to pitch in and tell us what they thought of it so we can make snap judgments on Pearce.)
I feel confident this is a decision Black and Marvel came to together, and that there’s a very good reason behind it, and the finished product will be the blend of two good minds. But it’s still kind of a let down for we fervent fans of Black.