What happens when the unstoppable force meets the immovable object? Next year on Netflix we just may find out.
Director/Explosion-Fetishist Michael Bay (MEATLOAF: BAT OUT OF HELL II – THE PICTURE SHOW) is teaming up with Skydance Entertainment and star Ryan Reynolds (PAPER MAN) to bring a new film entitled SIX UNDERGROUND to the streaming giant with a projected 2019 release. The action film, penned by writers Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese (DEADPOOL I & II, G.I. JOE: RETALIATION), is said to center around six billionaires who fake their own deaths and form an elite team to “take down bad guys”.
Now, listen, I loved the song by the Sneaker Pimps, but this seems to me to be a huge gamble. Six billionaires with a penchant for crime-busting? What’s that old saying about too many cooks? Too many Bruce Waynes in the Batcave spoils the roost? Not to mention, we all know they have to be large personalities. Have you ever imagined Oliver Queen, Bruce Wayne, Tony Stark, Lex Luthor, King T’Challa, and Ozymandias having a quiet spot of tea? Of course not! They’d be posturing and pontificating all over each other.
The ludicrous plot aside, there’s nothing Michael Bay can’t blow up, as he’s proven time and time again. And yet Reynolds, like his Deadpool counterpart, seems strangely hard to kill. A series of lackluster action films have done nothing to sully his likeability, or even better, his bankability. For every SAFE HOUSE or SELF/LESS, he’s redeemed himself with indie gems like THE VOICES or sometimes just on late night talk show appearances, alone. And I’m not even going to take a shot at GREEN LANTERN because that’s just too easy.
So for all the trepidation I feel as this project nears, I am driven by a morbid curiosity that blossoms into excitement to see it. With these names attached, it promises to be Netlfix’s biggest film to date, far surpassing the hubbub and media frenzy leading up to BRIGHT (on which I will reserve judgement). Even if Mr. Explosion can manage to detonate Wade Wilson, we’ll all line up to watch it happen, and we all know Van Wilder will walk through the fire with a smirk and wisecrack.
Until next time, McEric out!
