Jake Gyllenhaal’s Prophet comic book adaptation taps Atomic Blonde writer Kurt Johnstad to replace former writer Marc Guggenheim.
The upcoming adjustment of Prophet, starring Jake Gyllenhaal, has tapped into a new writer in the form of Atomic Blonde‘s Kurt Johnstad. Created by Deadpool‘s Rob Liefeld for Image Comics in the early 90s, the original Prophet comics follow the story of a homeless man who volunteered for medical experiments conducted by a time-traveling scientist during World War II. Originally programmed with murderous instincts, his programming was later changed for good and placed in stasis with the intention of resurfacing in the future to fight evil.
Plans for a live-action adaptation of the property were as early as 1995 when Tri-Star Pictures acquired the film rights. However, that project would never make it past the early pre-production stage. More recently, Studio 8 picked up the rights to the property and both Gyllenhaal and Extraction director Sam Hargrave. Initially, the script was set to be written by Green Lantern screenwriter and Legends of tomorrow producer Marc Guggenheim, although it looks like plans for the film are changing.
Now it seems that Prophet is ready to get a behind-the-scenes shakeup with The Hollywood Reporter report that Atomic Blonde writer Kurt Johnstad will replace Guggenheim as the project’s writer. Sources report that the film will follow a similar concept as ProphetThe origins of the comic book, where Gyllenhaal’s character volunteered to participate in a Nazi experiment towards the end of World War II, only to be buried 20 years later in an unexpected bombing raid. Upon his return in 1965, he is suddenly the target of KGB agents who seek him to create new super soldiers from his blood.
What to expect from Gyllenhaal’s Prophet Movie
With Johnstad the last name attached to the project, Gyllenhaal’s Prophet movie has had a lot of action bona fides behind it. Johnstad is no stranger to bringing high-action comic book properties to the big screen, having first made his mark in 2006 with the script for Zack Snyder’s 300 based on Frank Miller’s comic book series. More recently, he edited Antony Johnston’s graphic novel The coldest city in the acclaimed Charlize Theron vehicle Atomic Blonde. With that kind of experience, Johnstad should be a natural choice to bring Liefeld’s creation to life with the help of Hargrave as director.
While he didn’t make his directorial debut until 2020 with the Chris Hemsworth film ExtractionHargrave also has a long list of action credits to his name as a stunt performer and coordinator, including working on Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame with the Russo brothers. Considering ‘s resumes Prophet‘s creative team, comic book fans should probably expect Gyllenhaal to take center stage in what will likely be a very stunt-heavy property adaptation. While the super soldier out-of-time concept behind Prophet sound more than familiar to modern audiences, the team behind it are sure to provide an interesting and exciting look at the material.
Source: THR
