Men in Black Director Confirms His Metal Men Movie Is Still in Development at DC

A number of DC Comics-inspired film and television projects have been in the works over the years — some that have come to fruition, and others that have fizzled out of the public consciousness. One project in the latter category might be Metal Men, which was reported to be getting a movie treatment from Men in Black and The Addams Family director Barry Sonnenfeld all the way back in 2012. Obviously, the DC universe has evolved significantly since that was first reported — but according to Sonnenfeld himself, it’s isn’t down for the count quite yet. In a recent interview with ComicBookMovie.com, Sonnenfeld revealed that a treatment for the film is being “actively” worked on, and that his goal is to make the world of the Silver Age DC team feel fully realized.

“You know, it’s funny because I am developing Metal Men with Warner Bros.,” Sonnenfeld explained. “We’re actively working on a treatment for that. For me, it’s not so much a superhero thing as it is world-building. If you look at the work I’ve done, whether it’s The Addams Family, Men in Black, Pushing Daisies, Schmigadoon!, or A Series of Unfortunate Events, it’s all about creating a world. An unusual, slightly off-kilter quirky, different kind of world; that’s what I love doing. It’s not specifically, necessarily superhero, but even in Metal Men, that I am developing, it’s going to be a very specific kind of world. It’s a real-world because I always like things to be reality-based, but slightly with a tilt to that. It all started with The Addams Family which is both real but slightly pushed.”

Created by Robert Kanigher and Ross Andru, the Metal Men first debuted in 1962’s Showcase #37. The group consists of a number of artificially intelligent robots with special abilities — Gold, Iron, Lead, Mercury, Tin, and Tina — all of whom are created and led by Dr. Will Magnus. The group has appeared in animation and other realms over the years, with Will Magnus being name-dropped on a 2019 episode of Arrow. The Metal Men returned to comics with a twelve-issue solo run in 2019 and 2020.

Former DC Entertainment Chief Diane Nelson hyped the possibility of a Metal Men movie back in 2013, indicating that it was one of the top film projects she hoped to see.

“Sandman is right on top. I think it could be as rich as the Harry Potter universe,” Nelson explained at the time. “Fables. Metal Men. Justice League. And yes, I’m going to say it: Aquaman.” 

What do you think of Barry Sonnenfeld’s latest update regarding his potential Metal Men movie? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!