Netflix has grounded its adaptation of the Dark Horse Comic book Grendel.
Deadline revealed the news Tuesday, stating that the show had been in production and that plenty of scenes had been filmed.
Based on Matt Wagner’s groundbreaking comic book series, Grendel follows Hunter Rose, a gifted fencer, writer and assassin as, seeking to avenge the death of a lost love, he goes to war with New York’s criminal underworld, only to realize…why beat them, when you can join them?
That was the logline shared when the series got a formal pickup a year ago.
Deadline notes that producers plan to shop the series around, but there’s no telling what paved the way for the cancellation.
The cast of the project was to include Abubakr Ali (Power Book II: Ghost, Katy Keene) as the titular “Grendel”/“Hunter Rose.”
The cast also included Jaime Ray Newman (Dopesick, The Time Traveler’s Wife) as Jocasta Rose, and Julian Black Antelope (The Flash, Debris) as Argent, Madeline Zima (Californication, Hacks) as Liz Sparks, Kevin Corrigan (Scenes from an Empty Church, The Get Down) as Barry Palumbo,and Emma Ho (Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, The Expanse) as Stacy Palumbo.
The cast was rounded out by Erik Palladino (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Watchmen) as Teddy Ciccone, Brittany Allen (What Keeps You Alive) as Annabelle Wright, and Andy Mientus (The Flash, Dolly Parton’s Heartstrings) as Larry Stohler.
“I couldn’t be more thrilled about the GRENDEL saga, one of the longest-running independent comics series, finally being translated into live-action for the screen,” Wagner said when the series got a pickup.
“Under the sharp guidance of showrunner Andrew Dabb, our incredible creative team, sure-to-be stellar cast and Dark Horse Entertainment have teamed with Netflix to produce this provocative adaptation that will bring my characters and concepts to an all new audience and yet still provide excitement and surprises for die-hard fans.”
“I’m especially excited to see Abubakr Ali bring the character of Grendel/Hunter Rose to life — he has the charisma, style and vital edginess that I’ve been envisioning in the role for years.”
What are your thoughts on the decision?
Hit the comments below.
Paul Dailly is the Associate Editor for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.