Grendel, a long-running comic book series published by Dark Horse, is coming to Netflix. The story follows Hunter Rose, a gifted fencer and assassin who seeks to avenge the death of a lost love. However, when Rose’s vigilantism takes him to New York’s criminal underworld, he realizes, “Why beat them, when you can join them?” The series was originally created by American author Matt Wagner and was conceived as a noir, in the vein of popular European titles like Diabolik. Over time, it evolved into a “study of the nature of aggression.”
According to Netflix Geeked, Grendel has been ordered as an 8-episode new series for Netflix. The series will be written and executive produced by Resident Evil and Supernatural alum Andrew Dabb and comes out of Netflix’s first-look deal with Dark Horse. Abubakr Ali will play the lead role of Grendel/Hunter Rose. With this casting, Ali will become the first-ever Arab Muslim man to star in a comic book series TV adaptation. Also joining the cast are Californication’s Madeline Zima, The Time Traveler’s Wife’s Jaime Ray Newman, and Kevin Corrigan from The Get Down. In a statement, creator Matt Wagner enthused:
"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.”
Comic book fans will be excited to see yet another adaptation headed to screens. In recent years, comic adaptations have proven to translate well into blockbuster draws (see the entire Marvel franchise) and prestige dramas (Regina King netted an Emmy for her role in Watchmen). Grendel is a little less known than those adaptations, but the long-running independent comic has a devoted fan base. In 2009, Hunter Rose was ranked as one of the greatest villains of all time by IGN.
Source: Netflix Geeked/Twitter