Comics
Jared Leto Could Star as ‘Bloodshot’!
I don’t understand why people hate Jared Leto so much. The dude is a phenomenal actor who gave it all up to pursue a music career with his brother. After struggling to make a living as a top artist, Leno returned to acting in order to help finance his love of music. HE WON AN OSCAR. Fight Club, Requiem for a Dream, Panic Room, AMERICAN PSYCHO…and he was a ridiculously good Joker in Suicide Squad. What more could you ask for? For me, I’m stoked that he’s starring in Blade Runner 2049, and am elated that we may see him as the star of Bloodshot, which will be directed by Dave Wilson who is partnered with Deadpool‘s Tim Miller’s at Blur Studios.
This is the second film from a five-picture deal that was the result of a deal between Beverly Hills-based DMG and Valiant, reports Deadline. Sony acquired the Bloodshot series from Valiant back in 2012. The first in the series was Harbinger. It could be the beginning of a powerful franchise for both Sony and Leto.
Leto will see if a deal can be worked out to star as Bloodshot’s protagonist is Angelo Mortalli, a ruthless killer for the mob who is set up by the family and framed for a murder. He instead goes into Witness Protection but is betrayed by an FBI agent guarding him, kidnapped and forcibly subjected to an experimental program in which his body is injected with microscopic computers called nanites. They erase his brain and rebuild it and his body to be a weapon with superhuman strength and healing powers. The character was created by Kevin Van Hook, Don Perlin, and Bob Layton in 1992.
Sequels are planned for both Harbinger and Bloodshot before the title characters meet in Harbinger Wars, which is based on Valiant’s 2013 comic book crossover.
The supernatural world of Korean folk horror movie Exhuma grows larger with the arrival of prequel spinoff webtoon Maengjong this weekend, Variety reports today.
Naver Webtoon debuts Maengjong on May 30.
The series hails from Haemuri (Olgami) and will trace the high school origins of how shaman duo Hwarim and Bonggil, played by Kim Go-eun and Lee Do-hyun in the 2024 film, came together to face occultish threats.
The story is set to begin when “Hwarim, who has been concealing her identity following a childhood encounter with a snake spirit called Jin, crosses paths with Bonggil at their school.”
Variety notes that Exhuma director Jang Jae-hyun participated in the project’s early concept stage.
“We are presenting ‘Maengjong,’ a new series capturing the appeal of the horror-occult genre, ahead of the full summer season,” said Lee Jeong-geun, Naver Webtoon’s Korea webtoon content leader. “With the high school story of Hwarim and Bonggil, who left a strong impression in the film ‘Exhuma,’ enhanced by Haemuri’s characteristic tense direction, we expect it will be a welcome work for genre fans.”
“It is meaningful that the spin-off story of ‘Exhuma,’ loved by many audiences, expands by meeting the new grammar of webtoon,” said Lee Hyeon-jeong, managing director of the film business division at Showbox, which distributed the film. “We hope it will be a fresh experience for both film fans and webtoon readers.”
Exhuma was a breakout hit in 2024, becoming the first Korean occult film to surpass 10 million ticket buyers and the country’s highest-grossing film of the year. I wrote in my review that “the intricately woven Exhuma delivers one of the year’s biggest surprises in horror so far.”
The bond between Hwarim and Bonggil was one of the film’s highlights, making this prequel webtoon a must for fans.
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