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Man on fire

Netflix Orders TV Series Adaptation of A.J. Quinnell’s Iconic Novel ‘Man On Fire’


Betting big on one-person thriller drama, Netflix has reportedly greenlit a straight-to-series TV adaptation of Man on Fire. This upcoming eight-episode TV series will draw heavily from the first two entries in A.J. Quinnell’s five-book run. First published in 1980, Quinnell’s Man on Fire was followed by four more novels, 1992’s The Perfect Kill, 1993’s The Blue Ring, 1994’s Black Horn and 1996’s Message from Hell.

The upcoming Netflix series will mainly be based on the first two books and comes from writer/executive producer Kyle Killen. Killen previously served as showrunner of the Paramount+ series Halo but exited the video game adaptation before the show’s production started. The Fear Street creator is now set to write and executive produce the upcoming thriller series via his Chapter 11 production, with the company’s Scott Pennington also serving as an executive producer.

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Man on fire

Denzil Washington in 2004’s ‘Man of Fire’ film | Image: New Regency

The series will follow 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.” Chernin Entertainment’s Peter Chernin, Jenno Topping, Bill McGoldrick and Juan Alfonso will also be executive producing the project alongside Arnon Milchan, Yariv Milchan and Michael Schaefer via New Regency Productions, which holds the rights to the IP and financed the 2004 movie. Chernin Entertainment even has a first-look deal at Netflix.

The Hollywood Reporter first broke the news, revealing that Netflix had its eyes on a series adaptation based on the IP and the streamer along with New Regency was looking for a writer and showrunner for the project. In the past, New Regency provided funding for the film adaptation of Man on Fire in 2004, starring the one and only Denzel Washington. Netflix steered clear from sharing any further details about this Man on Fire TV series but with the project recently securing its showrunner and writer, it could very well be in the early stages of production. In the meantime, you can check out all the new shows, movies and docuseries hitting Netflix.