The Wrap is reporting that English actor Toby Kebbell has been cast in Vin Diesel’s film adaptation of the Valiant Entertainment Comic, Bloodshot. Kebbell will play the villain Axe, a return to form for Kebbell who played the comic book villain Dr. Doom in the 2015 Fantastic Four film, and the murderous ape Koba in the Planet of the Apes franchise.
Little is known about the character of Axe, as no character by that name appears in the comic, however he could be the film’s version of the character “Ax” who is described by the Valiant Comics Wiki as “an obnoxious self-professed computer wizard with a natural affinity for electronics.”
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Kebbell’s addition strengthens an already strong cast that includes Vin Diesel (Fast & Furious series, xXx series) in the title role plus Sam Heughan (Outlander), Eiza Gonzalez (Baby Driver), Michael Sheen (Tron Legacy) Talulah Riley (Westworld) and Alex Hernandez (Unreal).
Created by Kevin Van Hook, Don Perlin and Bob Layton, Bloodshot tells the story of a former soldier killed and brought back to life with technological upgrades, filling his body with billions of nanobots. This allows him to be the perfect soldier by healing from injuries, shapeshift, and even interact with technology.
Bloodshot is scheduled to begin production this July, with a script written by Academy Award nominated writer Eric Heisserer (Arrival, The Thing), and featuring Dave Wilson as director. Wilson worked with Deadpool director Tim Miller at Blur Studios and is best known for directing the cinematics for video games like Bioshock Infinite and Mass Effect 2.
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