Iron Man 3 scribe Drew Pearce is set to write and direct a high-concept thriller titled Quartermaster that is currently in development at Netflix, Collider has confirmed.
Plot details are being kept under wraps, but Netflix has put the project on a fast track toward production, as Pearce has already started his casting search. According to Variety, which broke the news, Netflix executives bought Pearce’s pitch in the room, taking it off the table before he could pitch it elsewhere. Marc Platt will produce with Adam Siegel, having previously worked with Pearce on his directorial debut, Hotel Artemis.
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While Hotel Artemis came up short at the box office, I happened to enjoy it. It had a big, fun ensemble led by Jodie Foster, Sterling K. Brown, Dave Bautista and Charlie Day, and I just liked its energy. I’ve never seen Pearce’s breakout series, No Heroics, but I’ve heard it discussed in revered terms that are typically reserved for geeky British shows like Spaced, Utopia and The I.T. Crowd. That’s pretty good company to be in.
No Heroics led Marvel to hire Pearce on Iron Man 3, and since then he has established himself as a trusted screenwriter for macho action fare, working on big-budget blockbusters like Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation and the upcoming Fast & Furious spinoff Hobbs & Shaw. Quartermaster is expected to be a bit more cerebral than tentpoles, as it skews closer to thriller territory than those action movies.
Platt recently produced the musicals La La Land and Mary Poppins Returns, and he’s also developing an adaptation of his Broadway musical Dear Evan Hansen, which stars his son, Ben Platt. The elder Platt is already in business with Netflix on the upcoming Sanaa Lathan movie Nappily Ever After. Pearce is repped by WME, and the news was first reported by Variety.
Image via ITV2
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