The Hollywood Reporter reveals that action movie veteran Kurt Johnstad has been tapped to pen the screenplay for Prophet, Studio 8's upcoming adaptation of the comic book series from Deadpool co-creator Rob Liefeld. Extraction director Sam Hargrave is set to helm the project, while Spider-Man: Far From Home's Jake Gyllenhaal will star.
Arrowverse executive producer Marc Guggenheim, whose writing credits include Arrow and Legends of Tomorrow, wrote the original screenplay.
Clearly, the studio feels that the script needed punching up a little, hence why the scribe behind movies like Atomic Blonde, 300, and Zack Snyder's upcoming Rebel Moon is now on board. With Hargrave directing, we have no doubt Prophet will deliver some insane, edge-of-your-seat action.
Liefeld's work is often divisive among comic book fans, but he's created a lot of great characters over the years and Prophet is definitely worthy of a big screen outing.
According to the trade, this version of the story will see Prophet "[as] a man who volunteers for a German experiment near the end of World War II in order to feed his family."
"After a bombing buries him alive and traps him underground for 20 years, he reawakens in 1965 to a world that has moved on without him. His daughter now resents him while KGB agents are after him to create new super-soldiers from his blood."
This is a great premise, and one that has us intrigued. Gyllenhaal playing the title character adds a lot of credibility to the comic book adaptation and should ensure it receives plenty of attention (no easy feat for a comic book movie that doesn't fall under the Marvel or DC umbrella). With a rewrite now taking place, it's unclear when cameras will start rolling on this one.
Are you guys excited for Prophet? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.