New news on Super Max has been a long time coming. The state of play was this: Justin Marks was scripting, David Goyer was producing, DC comics’ Green Arrow was the lead character and the plot would see him incarcerated in the tip-topper most high security prison in the DC universe, framed for a crime he didn’t commit.

There have been any number of rumors surrounding the project along the way. Would Matt Damon star as the Green Arrow? Would Kevin Smith direct? Would Lex Luthor, The Riddler or The Joker appear? It has generated a healthy bag full of headlines over a couple of years without actually going into production, or even pre-production. Nonetheless, slow and steady can often win the race and Super Max is still chugging along steadily. David Goyer has spoken to MTV and given an update. Here’s the man himself:

We’re working on that. We’re about to bring on another writer. Obviously, Warner Bros. is now heavily into mining all of the various DC properties.

So the studio won’t let it die, though it isn’t yet in the shape they’d want for it? It would seem that’s what he’s saying here.

Justin Marks was one of the originators of the concept, so it’s actually quite sad to hear he’s off the script. Having said that, I don’t know of any evidence that he can actually write anything worth a jot.

Here’s an old quote from Goyer on the beginnings of Super Max:

The basic concept actually came about through Justin Marks, a terrific young writer my wife Jessika (a producer) had previously worked with. They thought the idea of a prison-break story set in a jail designed exclusively for super-villains was a cool one. And I heartily agreed.

It is a cracking good hook, that’s for sure. Let’s hope the new writer is a real talent and a suitable director follows soon after.