After making his mark in other peoples' action movies, Common is working with RZA and Jerry Bruckheimer to craft his own hero, this one adapted from the pages of a novel series. He's now set to star in and produce Black Samurai for US cable channel Starz.
National Treasure duo Cormac and Marianne Wibberley are in the midst of writing the pilot script and will run the eventual show. They're working from the novels written by Marc Olden that follow Robert Sand, a highly trained American Army Ranger whose life is transformed when he meets a legendary Japanese master who invites him to train as a samurai. After his beloved sensei and samurai brothers are killed by mercenaries, Sand is thrust on a worldwide journey of both revenge and self-discovery. The character appeared in a 1977 movie, but the series will update the story.
"I'm beyond excited about Black Samurai. This is a unique and special project that offers something rarely seen in art and culture today," says Common. "It's an honor to play the character of Robert Sand and to have my production company, Freedom Road Productions partnering with Jerry Bruckheimer Productions, RZA and Starz to deliver something fresh and new to people. I can't wait to dig into this character and the martial arts worlds of gun-fu, kung-fu, jujitsu and more. Look out world, Black Samurai is coming!"
Quite when the show is coming has yet to be decided.