Summary
- The BRZRKR comic book series is getting a live-action film and anime adaptation on Netflix led by Keanu Reeves.
- Justin Lin, known for Fast & Furious, is directing the BRZRKR film to adapt the comic’s immortal warrior saga.
- Fans of Reeves and the comic series BRZRKR can expect a high-quality adaptation due to the top talent involved in the project.
The hit graphic novel series BRZRKR has 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, the BRZRKR limited 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 by Keanu 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 of The Boys and Invincible, it was revealed that Reeves’ BRZRKR would be getting a live-action film and anime series at Netflix.
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As co-creator and an established star, Reeves was first pick to headline both BRZRKR adaptations, taking on the lead role in both live action and on the voice cast for the animated show. With Reeves 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 by The Hollywood Reporter, the BRZRKR film has finally found its director in Justin Lin, an industry heavyweight best known for his extensive work on the Fast & Furious franchise. Lin, who has also shown impressive range with work on Star Trek, Community, True Detective and more, will be teaming up with Reeves once again, as the actor stepped in as a financial backer on Lin’s most recent indie project Last Days.
BRZRKR is 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 for BRZRKR, 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, BRZRKR also boasts some similarities in name and tone to Berserk, a manga that easily tops the 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 behind The Batman who’s also working on the script for The 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.
BRZRKR currently doesn’t have an official release date or window.
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