Ray Park

Selling Superheros

Buzz around the project started last year when Artisan inked a deal with Marvel Comics to bring Marvel's renowned superheroes and villains to film, video and the Internet, including Captain America, Thor and Black Panther.

And no one could be better suited to direct the martial arts-themed project than Wong. His directorial credits include the cult favorite The Big Hit, starring Planet of the Apes hunk Mark Wahlberg, and Crime Story with Jackie Chan. Wong has also directed several action films in his native Hong Kong, including Gunmen and True Colors.

Iron Fist will explore the hero's history and background, a device that could lead to a film franchise with several sequels, which would certainly please Avi Arad, CEO of Marvel Studios and Iron Fist's producer. Marvel Studios, the production company responsible for last summer's box office topper X-Men and 2002's much anticipated Spider-man, will also head this film.

So, you say you've never heard of Iron Fist?

"It's about finding great stories," Arad told Variety in March. "It's not about whether someone knows the name."

"The comic-book geek community is highly aware," Ari added. Guess that's all that matters.

The origin flick will focus on Danny Rand, an Earth-born child raised as a martial artist in an other-dimensional city called K'un-Lun. He masters the ability to focus his "chi," or spiritual energy, into his fist and strike with the force of iron. He then returns to America to avenge his parents' murder.