While this news is unlikely to generate the outpouring of shock that Batgirl's cancellation received, it's been revealed that Netflix has pulled the plug on Grendel despite having already shot the first season.
Based on the Dark Horse comic book of the same name by Matt Wagner, Grendel, a.k.a. Hunter Rose, is an assassin and crimelord who, in the early 90s, even starred in a crossover with Batman. After heading to New York City to avenge the death of a lost love, he goes to war with the Big Apple's underworld, only to realise...why beat them when you can join them?
What was to be an eight-episode TV series looked to serve as the character's live-action debut, and the project was first announced last September.
Since then, Supernatural executive producer Andrew Dabb had been tapped to serve as showrunner, while Abubakr Ali was cast in the title role, with Kevin Corrigan as Barry Palumbo, Julian Black Antelope as Argent, Emma Ho as Stacy Palumbo, and The Flash star Andy Mientus as Larry Stohler.
Ali looked set to be the first Arab Muslim actor to star as the lead of a comic book adaptation, but for reasons that aren't entirely clear, Netflix decided not to move any further ahead with the project. While Grendel hadn't completely finished shooting, it was nearly done, so the streamer must have decided it simply wasn't worth continuing.
This may not be it for the show, however, as the producers do have the option to shop it elsewhere. Assuming it's not horrendously bad, we can't imagine why a streamer or network wouldn't jump at the chance to finish the show off and add a pretty decent-sounding comic book series to their library.
Mientus has shared his brutally honest thoughts on what's happened, and you can read his statement in full below: