According to Variety, Spike Lee may direct a superhero movie for Sony Pictures based on the Marvel character Nightwatch. Lee’s involvement in the project is reportedly in the early stages and has yet to comment on the potential film, which would be written by Luke Cage showrunner Cheo Hodari Coker.
In the Marvel Universe, Nightwatch was first introduced in 1993 as the alter ego of African-American scientist Dr. Kevin Trench. Trench witnessed a costumed man die battling terrorists while armed with invisibility-generating cloaking devices. The scientist learned that the corpse was an older version of himself, and then went on to steal the futuristic suit of armor to discover the origins of his alternate self. The suit enhanced his physical capabilities, provided him with nanotechnology that healed his wounds, and a cape that responded to his thoughts so that he could glide through the air. Trench teamed up with other superheroes in the comic books, including Spider-Man, Captain America, and Deathlok.
Palak Patel, Sony executive vice president, is supervising the development of Nightwatch while also overseeing Tom Hardy’s upcoming Venom movie, as well as Silver & Back, and Spider-Man: Homecoming 2. Variety confirms that the film would be a part of Sony’s Marvel Universe. In the comics, Nightwatch has primarily been an ally to Spider-Man, though he has made appearances elsewhere in the Marvel Universe and also headlined his own short-lived series.
Lee is currently working on Black Klansman, a film based on the true story of an African-American detective who infiltrated the KKK in 1978 starring John David Washington, Adam Driver, Laura Harrier, Topher Grace, and Corey Hawkins. Lee is also the executive producer of the Netflix series She’s Gotta Have It.
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