Michelle MacLaren To Direct Chris Pratt’s ‘Cowboy Ninja Viking’
The comic book adaptationCowboy Ninja Vikingwas announced back in 2014, but the project has stalled out for a while. Now, theChris Prattfilm has finally found its director: television veteranMichelle MacLaren. This, along with the upcomingNightingale, will be the acclaimed TV director’s first official foray into feature filmmaking. More on theCowboy Ninja Vikingdirector below.
The road from page to screen forCowboy Ninja Vikinghas been long. The adaptation of A.J. Lieberman and Riley Rossmo’s 2009 comic originally hadZombielandwriters Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese working on a screenplay in 2010. In 2014, Chris Pratt wasannouncedas the lead. Now,Cowboy Ninja Vikinghas finally found its director: Michelle MacLaren. MacLaren is a highly sought-after TV director who has helmed episodes ofGame of Thrones,Breaking Bad,The DeuceandBetter Call Saul. At one point, she was supposed to directWonder Woman, but left the project due tocreative differences. Now, MacLaren appears to be finally breaking into big screen features.
The Tracking Boardconfirms MacLaren’s involvement withCowboy Ninja Viking, and also says that Pratt was part of a big push for a female director for the film. Jennifer Yuh Nelson, who directedKung-Fu Panda 2andKung-Fu Panda 3, was also considered to direct.World War Zdirector Marc Forster was attached to the film at some point, but left.Cowboy Ninja Vikingwill have Pratt playing Duncan, who is part of an experimental government program that transforms a person with multiple personality disorder into a deadly assassin with three distinct personas (cowboy, ninja, viking). Here’s the official synopsis of the comic:
Craig Mazin, who wroteThe Hangover Part IIandPart III, as well asThe Huntsman: Winter’s War, penned the most recent draft of the script. In addition toCowboy NinjaViking, MacLaren also has the World War II dramaThe Nightingalein pre-production. BothCowboy Ninja VikingandThe Nightingaleare slated for 2019 release dates, which makes one wonder which of the films MacLaren will get to first (if she indeed still plans to direct both of them).
