Warner Bros. announced today that they are teaming up with directorSteven Spielbergand his Amblin Entertainment company on an adaptation of the DC Comics titleBlackhawk, following their successful collaboration on the box office hitReady Player One. Spielberg has been set to produceBlackhawkwith an eye to direct, marking the iconic filmmaker’s first time making a movie centered on characters from the DC Comics. Here’s what Toby Emmerich, Chairman, Warner Bros. Pictures Group, had to say in a brief statement about the news.
“We are so proud to be thestudio behind Steven Spielberg’s latest hit, and are thrilled to be working with him again on this new action adventure. We can’t wait to see what new ground he will break in introducing ‘Blackhawk’ to movie audiences worldwide.”
The screenplay forBlackhawkis beingwritten by David Koepp, which marks his seventh collaboration with Steven Spielberg. Koepp has written Spielberg-directed blockbusters such asJurassic Park,The Lost World: Jurassic Park II,War of the WorldsandIndiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, and he is also written the upcomingIndiana Jones 5script that Spielberg will direct from. Here’s what Spielberg himself had to say in a brief statement.
“It was wonderful working with the team at Warner Bros. to bringReady Player Oneto the screen. They bring a blend of passion and professionalism to everything they do and have atremendous history in this genre. I am excited to reunite with them onBlackhawk.”
While this announcement was made official by Warner Bros. today,Blackhawkmay not be hitting theaters for quite some time. The announcement confirmed that thedirector’s next two projectsare the newIndiana Jonessequel and the long-awaited remake of the 1961 classicWest Side Story.Indiana Jones 5has been set for release by Disney on August 09, 2025, although 20th Century Fox has not set a release date forWest Side Storyat this time. IfWest Side Storyarrives in either 2021 or 2022, then we may not seeBlack Hawkuntil 2023 or 2024.
Warner Bros.' announcement also didn’t indicate whether or notBlackhawkwill be part ofthe studio’s DCEU lineup, alongsideJustice LeagueandWonder Woman, or if it will be set aside from that superhero universe. The studio recently brought on Walter Hamada to serve as president of DC Films, overseeing the DCEU, and there has been talk that the studio will be developing other DC properties that will exist outside of the DCEU timeline, so it’s possible thatBlackhawkcould be one of those projects.
Blackhawkwas created by Chuck Cuidera, Bob Powell and Will Eisner, making his debut in the Quality Comics title Military Comics #1 in October 1941. When Quality Comics folded in December 1956, the company’s characters were initially leased to DC, before being bought outright, andBlackhawkwas one of the few titles that DC kept running uninterrupted.Blackhawkis one of just four comics to be published in its own series from the 1940s through the 1960s, with the only other titles beingBatman,SupermanandWonder Woman. TheBlackhawkcomics center on a mysterious man known only as Blackhawk, who leads a group of World War II-era pilots known as the Blackhawks Squadron on missions to combat tyranny and oppression. Hopefully we’ll find out more fromWarner Bros.soon in regards to thisBlackhawkadaptation.
