It appears that TWC-Dimension’s The Six Million Dollar Man remake is indeed moving forward. We learned last fall that Mark Wahlberg was keen on reteaming with his Lone Survivor director Peter Berg for a remake of the 1970s TV series, and now the update has landed an Oscar nominated writer to craft a screenplay. It was announced today that filmmaker Damián Szifron, who wrote and directed last year’s Best Foreign Language Film nominee Wild Tales, has been tasked with penning the screenplay for the aptly named Six Billion Dollar Man.
The original TV series starred Lee Majors as Steve Austin, a test pilot who is outfitted with bionic limbs and implants in order to become a super-powered secret agent. This new iteration once again follows Austin, a military officer "who becomes part of a top secret government program after a horrific accident leaves him near death. With the help of cutting edge technology, Steve is brought back to life with extraordinary strengths, making him the world’s first truly bionic man.” In a statement, Szifron offered a brief tease of his take on the story:
“Such a major challenge represents a great opportunity. The themes surrounding this beloved property allow for the creation of a memorable sci-fi actioner as well as a bold spy thriller. Expectations are high and I’ll do my best to deliver the strongest basis for an amazing cinematic experience.”
Berg and Wahlberg are currently gearing up to start production on the oil spill disaster film Deepwater Horizon, but the actor previously told us that if the Six Billion Dollar Man script gets in the right shape, they could tackle it as their next film. Szifron is certainly an interesting choice in screenwriter, so hopefully he comes up with a unique spin on the material.
