Movie News: Grendel - Matt Wagner's Classic Assassin Nabs His Own Live-Action Netflix Series UPDATE: CANCELLED

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Grendel: Matt Wagner's Classic Assassin Nabs His Own Live-Action Netflix Series

Netflix orders an eight-episode series based on Matt Wagner's Dark Horse Comics antihero Grendel, starring Abubakr Ali.

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Grendel: Matt Wagner's Classic Assassin Nabs His Own Live-Action Netflix Series
Netflix orders an eight-episode series based on Matt Wagner's Dark Horse Comics antihero Grendel, starring Abubakr Ali.

BY JON ARVEDONPUBLISHED 5 HOURS AGO

Netflix has ordered an eight-episode series based on Matt Wagner's Dark Horse Comics title Grendel.

According to Deadline, Katy Keene's Abubakr Ali will play the eponymous antihero Hunter Rose/Grendel. He's joined by Jaime Ray Newman as Jocasta Rose, Julian Black Antelope as Argent, Madeline Zima as Liz Sparks, Kevin Corrigan as Barry Palumbo, Emma Ho as Stacy Palumbo, Erik Palladino as Teddy Ciccone, Brittany Allen as Annabelle Wright and Andy Mientus as Larry Stohler. Andrew Dabb serves as showrunner, writer and executive producer, with Mike Richardson, Keith Goldberg and Chris Tongue also serving as EPs.



Created by Matt Wagner, the Hunter Rose incarnation of Grendel debuted in 1982's Comico Primer #2 and was eventually moved over to Dark Horse. The character is an author who moonlights as a masked vigilante, and upon his death, he was replaced by Christine Spar and then Brian Li Sung. However, Wagner has returned to Hunter on a variety of occasions since then. The most recent Grendel title was Grendel: Devil's Odyssey, which debuted in 2019 and featured Grendel Prime. The series concluded in July 2021.

"I couldn’t be more thrilled about the Grendel saga, one of the longest-running independent comics series, finally being translated into live-action for the screen," Wagner said in a statement. "Under the sharp guidance of showrunner Andrew Dabb, our incredible creative team, sure-to-be stellar cast and Dark Horse Entertainment have teamed with Netflix to produce this provocative adaptation that will bring my characters and concepts to an all new audience and yet still provide excitement and surprises for die-hard fans. I’m especially excited to see Abubakr Ali bring the character of Grendel/Hunter Rose to life — he has the charisma, style and vital edginess that I’ve been envisioning in the role for years."



"Grendel as Hunter Rose is almost a character out of time," Wagner told CBR in 2013. "He seems like a character who kind of missed the Golden Age of America in the '30s and '40s -- the times he would have loved to have lived in. Especially the American urban scene and the American art scene of that time and the Hollywood high style and fashion realities. In my 'Grendel' narrative, Hunter's life takes place in the early to mid '80s, so I have to find a way to put these two characters together."

Netflix's Grendel series has yet to receive a release date.

@ViCiouS @largebillsonlyplease

 

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CANCELATIONS SEPT. 27, 2022
Netflix Batgirl’d Grendel, Series Not Moving Forward
By Alejandra Gularte
Photo: Dark Horse Comics

Another masked comic-book hero has been taken down. According to Deadline, Netflix will not move forward with the Dark Horse comic-book series Grendel, which originally had an eight-episode order through the streamer’s first-look deal with Dark Horse Entertainment. The series, written and executive produced by Supernatural’s Andrew Dabb, reportedly had finished filming a “bulk” of the episodes, but it was not completed. It would have become the first comic-book series with an Arab Muslim actor, Abubakr Ali, in the titular leading role. Reportedly, the producers are able to shop the series elsewhere.

Grendel follows Ali as Hunter Rose, a fencer-assassin who seeks to avenge the death of his long-lost love. Originally fighting against New York City crime, he decides to join in on the fun. The show also stars Jaime Ray Newman, Julian Black Antelope, Madeline Zima, Kevin Corrigan, Emma Ho, Erik Palladino, Brittany Allen, and Andy Mientus. Maybe Grendel can take a page from Batgirl’s book and host a private screening (or at least post some behind-the-scenes pics.)

@ViCiouS