Netflix has added the acclaimed Dark Horse series Grendel to its ever-growing lineup of comic book adaptations. The streamer has greenlit an eight-episode season centered around the comic's original protagonist, Hunter Rose.
Grendel will be written by Supernatural veteran Andrew Dabb, who is also serving as showrunner and executive producer. The series is also executive produced by Grendel creator Matt Wagner and Dark Horse Entertainment’s Mike Richardson, Keith Goldberg and Chris Tongue.
Abubakr Ali (Power: Book II) has been tapped to star as Hunter Rose. A gifted fencer and acclaimed novelist, Rose is driven by a mixture of boredom and vengeance to become a costumed vigilante, before ultimately taking control of the city's criminal underworld. Jaime Ray Newman (Dopesick) has been cast as Hunter's mentor Jocasta Rose. Julian Black Antelope plays Hunter's heroic nemesis, Argent, a centuries-old Native American man transformed into a werewolf.
The Season 1 cast also includes Madeline Zima (Californication) as Liz Sparks, Kevin Corrigan (Scenes from an Empty Church) as Barry Palumbo, Emma Ho (Star Trek: Strange New Worlds) as Stacy Palumbo, Erik Palladino (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel) as Teddy Ciccone, Brittany Allen (What Keeps You Alive) as Annabelle Wright and Andy Mientus (The Flash) as Andy Stohler.
Grendel originally debuted in 1982's Comico Primer #2, with Wagner later expanding on his original, unfinished story in the graphic novel Grendel: Devil by the Deed. Since then, the Grendel saga has continued at Dark Horse through various ongoing and limited series, the most recent of which was 2019's Grendel: Devil's Odyssey. While the early Grendel tales focus on Hunter Rose's rise and fall, Wagner's story often jumps forward in time to explore other characters taking up the Grendel mantle and the the never-ending cycle of violence and aggression Rose leaves in his wake.
“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," said Wagner 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 marks the latest collaboration between Netflix and Dark Horse. The streamer announced Umbrella Academy: Season 3 in November 2020, and we have some ideas for where the story is headed next. Netflix is also developing an animated adaptation of Stan Sakai's Usago Yojimbo comics dubbed Samurai Rabbit: The Usagi Chronicles.
Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.
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Grendel will be written by Supernatural veteran Andrew Dabb, who is also serving as showrunner and executive producer. The series is also executive produced by Grendel creator Matt Wagner and Dark Horse Entertainment’s Mike Richardson, Keith Goldberg and Chris Tongue.
Abubakr Ali (Power: Book II) has been tapped to star as Hunter Rose. A gifted fencer and acclaimed novelist, Rose is driven by a mixture of boredom and vengeance to become a costumed vigilante, before ultimately taking control of the city's criminal underworld. Jaime Ray Newman (Dopesick) has been cast as Hunter's mentor Jocasta Rose. Julian Black Antelope plays Hunter's heroic nemesis, Argent, a centuries-old Native American man transformed into a werewolf.
The Season 1 cast also includes Madeline Zima (Californication) as Liz Sparks, Kevin Corrigan (Scenes from an Empty Church) as Barry Palumbo, Emma Ho (Star Trek: Strange New Worlds) as Stacy Palumbo, Erik Palladino (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel) as Teddy Ciccone, Brittany Allen (What Keeps You Alive) as Annabelle Wright and Andy Mientus (The Flash) as Andy Stohler.
Grendel originally debuted in 1982's Comico Primer #2, with Wagner later expanding on his original, unfinished story in the graphic novel Grendel: Devil by the Deed. Since then, the Grendel saga has continued at Dark Horse through various ongoing and limited series, the most recent of which was 2019's Grendel: Devil's Odyssey. While the early Grendel tales focus on Hunter Rose's rise and fall, Wagner's story often jumps forward in time to explore other characters taking up the Grendel mantle and the the never-ending cycle of violence and aggression Rose leaves in his wake.
“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," said Wagner 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 marks the latest collaboration between Netflix and Dark Horse. The streamer announced Umbrella Academy: Season 3 in November 2020, and we have some ideas for where the story is headed next. Netflix is also developing an animated adaptation of Stan Sakai's Usago Yojimbo comics dubbed Samurai Rabbit: The Usagi Chronicles.
Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.
Continue reading...