Tom Hanks may have his next project. Universal is developing Major Matt Mason, a live-action feature based on Mattel’s line of popular action figures from the 60s, as a starring vehicle for Hanks. Mason led an astronaut team that lived in a space station and worked on the moon. I personally don’t have any recollection of these toys, but I guess Hanks was a big fan, as he brought his own set to the pitch meeting. Graham Yost (Speed, Mission to Mars, Boomtown) will write the script. Let’s see if Hanks can actually turn this into something I’ll want to see.

Bryan Singer may also have his next project lined up. New Regency has acquired the rights to comic book series “Freedom Formula: Ghost of the Wasteland” as a potential directing vehicle for Singer. Variety describes the story as having “a futuristic premise in which fighter jets have been replaced by pilots who battle in racing exo-suits. The protag is a genetically engineered racer who learns his bloodline has the power to change society.” Michael Finch will write the screenplay, and frankly, if it weren’t for Singer, I’d have zero interest in this project. That’s two projects with big names attached now that I don’t care about…

But this last one, with zero big names attached, actually sounds pretty cool. Warner Bros. has picked up the rights to Methuselah, an action adventure written and to be directed by James Watkins (Gone, Eden Lake). Named after the Biblical character who purportedly lived to be 969 years old, the story centers on a similarly longevous man who has used all of the extra time to develop a set of extraordinary survival skills. Now that’s a premise I can get behind, or at least one that I’d want to know more about. Watkins calls it an “elevated thriller” with “a bit of intelligence and resonance.” Sweet, I’m in.

Tags: Bryan Singer, Freedom Formula, Graham Yost, James Watkins, Major Matt Mason, Methuselah, Michael Finch, Tom Hanks