Michelle MacLaren To Direct Chris Pratt In ‘Cowboy Ninja Viking’

A comic book adaptation that has been years in the making, the this-sells-itself named “Cowboy Ninja Viking” is finally happening. Chris Pratt will notch a third (potential) franchise in his belt with this one following “Guardians Of The Galaxy” and “Jurassic World,” and now the project has a director.

Michelle MacLaren has signed up to direct “Cowboy Ninja Viking,” which follows a man who suffers from multiple personality disorder and is put into a government program to be turned into a super-soldier with the attributes of a cowboy, a ninja and a viking. The movie has seen quite the revolving door of directors including  Marc Forster and “John Wick” duo David Leitch and Chad Stahelski. The most recent draft of the script comes from Craig Mazin (“The Hangover Part II,” “The Hangover Part III,” “The Huntsman: Winter’s War“) so…temper those expectations.

This will be MacLaren’s first blockbuster outing, but she comes armed with a tremendous television background, having worked on “The X-Files,” “Breaking Bad,” and “The Deuce.” She was infamously the first choice to helm “Wonder Woman,” before leaving over creative differences. Since then, no other tentpole projects came her way, though there was a brief rumor that she might take over Josh Trank‘s aborted “Star Wars” spinoff.

At any rate, MacLaren is getting ready to step into the big time with this one. “Cowboy Ninja Viking” opens on June 28, 2019. [Deadline]