Summary
The hit graphic novel seriesBRZRKRhas been gearing up for a big debut in a new medium, and now the project has acquired a battle-tested creative with other big projects to their name to lead the charge into live action.
Despite being an independent project, theBRZRKRlimited comic book series saw great commercial success thanks to a massively successful kickstarter campaign, being published by Boom! Studios, and being co-written and promoted byKeanu Reeves. The actual finished product was of stellar quality thanks to work by top industry talent, including decorated Marvel artist Ron Garney. Thanks to this impressive showing and the comic book adaptation drive outside the two big companies led by the likes ofThe BoysandInvincible,it was revealed thatReeves’BRZRKRwould be getting a live-action film and anime seriesat Netflix.
As co-creator and an established star, Reeves was first pick to headline bothBRZRKRadaptations, taking on the lead role in both live action and on the voice cast for the animated show. WithReeves offering little hope of returning to the John Wick franchise, fans of the actor and the film series have become even more excited about the prospect, and now the new project has taken an important first step towards becoming a reality. As first exclusively broken byThe Hollywood Reporter,theBRZRKRfilm has finally found its director in Justin Lin, an industry heavyweight best known for his extensive work on theFast & Furiousfranchise. Lin, who has also shown impressive range with work onStar Trek, Community, True Detectiveand more, will be teaming up with Reeves once again, as the actor stepped in as a financial backer on Lin’s most recent indie projectLast Days.
BRZRKRis a “brutally epic saga about an immortal warrior’s 80,000 year fight through the ages. The man known only as ‘B’ is half-mortal and half-god, cursed and compelled to violence, even at the sacrifice of his sanity. But after wandering the earth for centuries, B may have finally found a refuge — working for the U.S. government to fight the battles too violent and too dangerous for anyone else. In exchange, B will be granted the one thing he desires — the truth about his endless blood-soaked existence … and how to end it.”
Lin’s experience will certainly come in handy forBRZRKR,with the IP’s official logline above telling fans all they need to know about the heavy responsibility that successfully adapting the comic book series for live action will be. Unlike some other adaptations, this project benefits from much shorter source material, as the mainline comic series manages to tell its story in 12 masterfully paced issues. The project also has a pretty heavy advantage in terms of attracting an audience. In addition to the comic book fans eager for an adaptation and Reeves’ pull as an A-list star,BRZRKRalso boasts some similarities in name and tone toBerserk,a manga that easily topsthe list of best seinen works of all time, which could also play in its favor thanks to the upcoming anime series that’s also in development at Netflix.
Lin’s addition is certainly good news for the production, and he’s not the only big name that’s attached to steer the upcoming adaptation in the right direction. With original co-writer Reeves also taking on a role behind the scenes on the upcoming film and Mattson Tomlin—the writer behindThe Batmanwho’salso working on the script forThe Batman Part II—attached as the scribe for this project as well, fans are certainly in for a great adaptation of the original comic book series.
BRZRKRcurrently doesn’t have an official release date or window.
