Once upon a time, The Six Million Dollar Man was one of the most popular action TV shows, spawning a spinoff TV show (The Bionic Woman) and three TV movies years after the series ended. The property isn't nearly as relevant as it once was, but for more than two decades, there have been numerous efforts to get a movie adaptation off the ground which, undoubtedly due to inflation, is now called The Six Billion Dollar Man. The latest iteration of the project has Mark Wahlberg playing Colonel Steve Austin, but now The Six Billion Dollar Man has hit a setback with the departure of its director.
Damian Szifron, who also co-wrote The Six Billion Dollar Man script, joined the project in late 2015 after previous director Peter berg bowed out, but now THR has revealed that Szifron has departed due to "creative differences." However, Warner Bros (which bought the rights to The Six Billion Dollar Man from The Weinstein Company) still intends for the movie to begin shooting this summer, and the search is underway to find a replacement director. In fact, it's possible that the studio could have a candidate in its sights, as Mel Gibson, whose directorial endeavors include Braveheart, The Passion of the Christ and Hacksaw Ridge, has been "circling" the part of Oscar Goldman, Steve Austin's mentor. If Gibson takes on the role, perhaps Warner Bros will try recruiting him to direct The Six Billion Dollar Man as well.
This directing shakeup is just the latest behind-the-scenes issue to strike The Six Billion Dollar Man over its development period. The current version of The Six Billion Dollar Man was announced back in 2014, and it was originally supposed to be released on December 22, 2017, but eventually those plans went out the proverbial window, and now it's expected to come out the summer of next year. However, if Warner Bros doesn't find someone to replace Damian Szifron soon, then production will need to be pushed back, thus requiring another delay. Like the original Six Million Dollar Man TV show, The Six Billion Dollar Man will see Colonel Steve Austin (who in this version is a military officer rather than a test pilot) nearly dying in a horrific accident and being reconstructed with cutting edge technology, turning him into a superpowered force for good.
The Six Billion Dollar Man is scheduled to be released on May 31, 2019, putting it in competition that opening weekend with a yet-to-be-revealed Blumhouse movie. Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for more updates about The Six Billion Dollar Man's development as news trickles in. For now, you can look through our 2018 release schedule to plan your trips to the theater this year accordingly.
