Oscar nominee Jake Gyllenhaal (Nightcrawler, Prisoners, The Guilty) is set to star in Studio 8’s upcoming comic book adaptation Prophet with Sam Hargrave (Extraction, Extraction 2) attached to direct the feature, according to The Hollywood Reporter. As previously reported, Marc Guggenheim (The CW’s Arrowverse) will pen the script.
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Gyllenhaal will play John Prophet, “a man conscripted by Germans near the end of World War II and subjected to scientific experiments that gave him superhuman strength.”
In Prophet, based on Rob Liefeld’s comic books published by Image Comics, “John Prophet volunteers for a German experiment near the end of World War II in order to feed his family. After a bombing buries him alive and traps him underground for 20 years, he reawakens in 1965, where things are not great for Prophet. The world has moved on without him, his daughter resents him, and KGB agents are after him to create super-soldiers from his blood,” according to the outlet’s synopsis.
Studio 8 CEO Jeff Robinov will produce the project along with Studio 8’s John Graham, Prime Universe Films’ Adrian Askarieh, Liefield, and Brooklyn Weaver.
“It’s been a goal of ours to work with Jake and Sam for quite some time, so we’re very excited to finally be collaborating with them on this unique, action-packed genre film,” Robinov said in a statement. “I’m looking forward to seeing what they envision for bringing this story to life — a story we’re sure will stand out in the comic book world as a powerful, emotionally charged and visually distinctive film.”
The character of Prophet first debuted in the second issue of Liefeld’s Youngblood in 1992 and grew into his own series a year later and was inspired by another Liefeld creation, Cable.