Beaks here...
The only question I have regarding a big-screen rendition of KOLCHAK: THE NIGHT STALKER is "What took 'em so long?" Guess we were waiting for Johnny Depp to wise up and get Edgar Wright on board.
According to Deadline, Wright is set to develop and direct the film version of THE NIGHT STALKER for Disney and Depp's production company, Infinitum Nihil. Depp will, of course, star as Carl Kolchak, the not-entirely-fearless journalist who investigates crimes of a supernatural nature. Since the film is in the nascent stages of development, we've no idea if Depp and Wright will set the story in the present day or go period. If they opt for the former, I'm curious to see if Kolchak will be portrayed as an old-school print reporter or one o' them troublemakin' bloggers.
I love the original series and, in particular, the two made-for-TV movies that inspired it (both of which were written by the great Richard Matheson), and the scary-funny tone is certainly in Wright's wheelhouse. Short of casting a reanimated Darren McGavin, this is a best-case scenario for a Kolchak movie. Given that this is a Disney movie, Wright will have to stay within PG-13 parameters, but that's fine; sure, Kolchak needs to be dark, but not excessively so.
Here's hoping this sucker gets fast-tracked, and we get to see a new Edgar Wright movie no later than 2014!
