Netflix Sets ‘Man on Fire’ TV Series With Kyle Killen as Showrunner
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Netflix is putting its money on another action thriller drama. The streamer announced a straight-to-series order for an eight-episode TV adaptation of “Man on Fire,” based on the first two books of A.J. Quinnell’s series.
The new show follows John Creasy, a broken ex-mercenary on a mission to avenge the death of his only friend, while protecting his fallen comrade’s daughter from the forces that destroyed her family. Creasy was previously played by Denzel Washington in the 2004 adaptation directed by Tony Scott, and by Scott Glenn in an Italian film from 1987.
Kyle Killen (“Fear Street: Part One – 1994” and “Halo”) will serve as writer, executive producer and showrunner on the series. The show comes from New Regency Productions, whose film studio previously produced and financed the Washington flick, and Chernin Entertainment.
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Killen executive produces alongside Chernin Entertainment’s Peter Chernin, Jenno Topping, Bill McGoldrick and Juan Alfonso. Arnon Milchan, Yariv Milchan and Michael Schaefer executive produce for New Regency Productions, which controls the rights to the property. Killen and Scott Pennington oversee the project for Chapter 11.
“Man on Fire” was released in 1980, followed by four novels — “The Perfect Kill” (1992), “The Blue Ring” (1993), “Black Horn” (1994) and “Message From Hell” (1996) — all featuring Creasy. The Netflix series is based on “Man on Fire” and “The Perfect Kill.”
The Hollywood Reporter, which first reported the news of the new show, wrote that work on a series based on the property had been on the streamer’s radar for a while, with the search for a writer and showrunner underway for a few months.
Streaming platforms have found success in character-driven action thrillers like Netflix’s “The Night Agent” and “The Recruit,” along with Prime Video’s “Reacher.”
“The Night Agent” is the latest character-driven action drama to resonate with Netflix subscribers, as it spent its first weekend at No. 1 on the platform’s TV Top 10 following its release on Thursday. Similar successful shows in this genre across the streaming landscape include Netflix’s “The Recruit” and Prime Video’s “Reacher.”
