The last time author A. J. Quinnell's revenge thriller Man On Fire was brought to our screens in 2004, it gave us one of Denzel Washington's best movies. Now, twenty years later, per Deadline's reporting, Candyman star Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is set to follow in Washington's footsteps and play ex-marine John Creasy in a new TV adaptation for Netflix, which he'll also executive produce. And that's not all: Transformers: Rise Of The Beasts director Steven Caple Jr. is aboard to direct the series' first two episodes.
Taking the form of an eight-part limited series, the show is actually set to adapt the first two of Quinnell's five-part Creasy series — Man On Fire and The Perfect Kill. As per the series' official synopsis, Abdul-Mateen II will play John Creasy, "a once high-functioning and skilled Special Forces mercenary known for surviving even the most desolate of situations. Creasy is now plagued with intense PTSD. Determined to overcome his personal demons, he sets out on a path to redemption. But before he can adjust to this new life, he finds himself back in the fire, fighting harder than ever." And back in the fire, based on the books and the Tony Scott movie, means Abdul-Mateen II's Creasy going on a bloody one-man mission to save his boss' young daughter from kidnapping ne'er-do-wells.
No stranger to bringing the bloodshed and action on-screen, Fear Street and Halo co-writer/co-creator Kyle Killen is taking the lead on this one, and will serve as writer, showrunner, and executive producer on the series. As for when the series is expected to arrive, who else we may expect to see filling out the cast, and whether we'll see Abdul-Mateen II's Creasy administering any bomb-up-the-butt justice, Denzel style... well, we'll bring you all the details just as soon as we get them.