It’s been over a year since Studio 8’s long-in-the-works Prophet movie picked up steam when Sam Hargrave and Jake Gyllenhaal joined the project as director and star, respectively. At the time, Arrowverse vet Marc Guggenheim was said to be writing the film, which is based on Rob Liefeld’s comic of the same name. But The Hollywood Reporter brings word that Kurt Johnstad has signed on to pen his own draft of the screenplay.
Johnson previously tackled a big comic book adaptation when he co-wrote the script for Zack Snyder’s 300. He and Snyder also collaborated on the script for the film’s 2014 sequel, 300: Rise of an Empire. More recently, Johnstad wrote Atomic Blonde, which hit theaters in 2017. He is also teaming with Snyder and co-writer Shay Hatten on Netflix’s upcoming sci-fi epic, Rebel Moon.
In Liefeld’s original comic, the Germans drafted John Prophet near the end of World War II. He eventually developed superhuman strength after being subjected to various medical experiments. Liefeld previously introduced the character in his Youngbloods series before giving him his own spinoff in 1993.
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The film version, however, will show John volunteering for German experiments in the ‘40s in order to provide for his family. But after an explosion buries him alive, he’s presumed dead for 20 years until he reawakens in 1965 and discovers an unfamiliar world. He soon discovers that his daughter resents him for his actions. Plus, KGB agents are hunting him for his blood to make their own army of super soldiers.
In addition to playing the title character, Gyllenhaal will produce the film alongside Liefield, Brooklyn Weaver, John Schoenfelder, and Russel Ackerman. Studio 8’s Jeff Robinov and John Graham are also producing with Prime Universe Films’ Adrian Askarieh.
Do you think Johnstad is a good choice to write the script for Prophet? Let us know in the comment section below!
Recommended Reading: Prophet, Vol. 1: Remission
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