Marvel Cinematic Universe veterans Dave Bautista and Samuel L. Jackson are officially attached to star in a film adaptation of the Red 5 Comics title Afterburn.
As broken by Deadline, Afterburn will be Bautista’s next big-screen action project. The post-apocalyptic film takes place in the aftermath of a massive solar flare that wiped out Earth’s technology. Bautista will play Jake, an ex-soldier who finds old-world treasures for powerful clients. Jake joins forces with a freedom fighter named Drea to recover the Mona Lisa before an evil warlord finds it first. The aforementioned Jackson will appear in a supporting capacity as Valentine, another freedom fighter.
The Afterburn movie hails from Black Bear and CAA Media Finance. J.J. Perry, who previously directed Bautista in the upcoming action-comedy The Killer’s Game, will helm the project. Neal H. Moritz and Toby Jaffe are producing for Original Film, while Steve Richards is producing for Endurance Media. (Endurance is also financing.) Additionally, Bautista himself is producing for Dogbone Entertainment. CAA Media Finance is taking care of domestic sales, while Black Bear is handling things internationally.
Black Bear and CAA are launching Afterburn for sales ahead of next week’s European Film Market. Principal photography is due to begin in Europe this April, with additional casting currently underway.
Afterburn’s producers discuss the Dave Bautista movie
“Afterburn is a terrific action story, combining the fun of Indiana Jones with the near future world building of Children of Men,” Jaffe said. “J.J. is going to bring this to life in a thrilling way, using real practical stunt work to create authentic, visceral set pieces. Dave is one of the leading action stars in the world today, as well as being an actor with real soul and versatility. So excited to be making Afterburn with them both.”
“The combination of Dave Bautista and Sam Jackson in an epic adventure is a sure-fire proposition for the international marketplace,” Black Bear’s John Friedberg added, “With an action master like J.J. at the helm, and incredible producers in Steve, Neal and Toby, this is going to be a spectacular cinematic event.”
The Red 5 comic’s journey to the big screen
Written by Red 5 founders Scott Chitwood and Paul Ens and illustrated by Wayne Nichols, Afterburn launched at Red 5 Comics in January 2008. The series originally ran for four issues through July 2008. Said issues were eventually collected in trade paperback form in April 2019. 2019 also saw the launch of Afterburn: Crossfire, a four-issue sequel series written by Chitwood and illustrated by Rod Thornton.
A movie adaptation of the Red 5 comic has been in varying stages of development for well over a decade. Back in 2010, Antoine Fuqua signed on to direct a version of the film starring Gerard Butler. Tommy Wirkola took over as director in 2012, though development stalled altogether at some point. Then, in 2018, Original Film and Endurance tapped Jung Byung-gil to direct an Afterburn film, with Butler still attached to star. That version of the project has evidently petered out as well.
