Justin Lin (Fast & Furious) has come aboard to direct "BRZRKR", the Keanu Reeves-created comic being adapted by Netflix.
Reeves is starring in the gritty feature project as well as producing. Also producing are Stephen Christy for Boom! Studios, Stephen Hamel of Company Films and Ross Richie. Lin will also produce via his Perfect Storm banner.
The move reunites Lin with Reeves, who became an angel investor in the filmmaker’s latest drama and return to indie roots, "Last Days", which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January.
"The Batman 2" co-writer Mattson Tomlin penned the script to "BRZKRK", which according to Netflix and Boom!, is a brutally epic saga that follows "an immortal warrior’s 80,000 year fight through the ages. The man known only as ‘B’ is half-mortal and half-god, cursed and compelled to violence, even at the sacrifice of his sanity. But after wandering the earth for centuries, B may have finally found a refuge — working for the U.S. government to fight the battles too violent and too dangerous for anyone else. In exchange, B will be granted the one thing he desires — the truth about his endless blood-soaked existence … and how to end it.”
Reeves created the concept and the story, working with artist Ron Garney and Eisner-nominated comics author Matt Kindt, who has previously written titles for Marvel, DC and Valiant and who was behind the creator-owned comic Mind MGMT.
The first issue remains one of the best-selling comics of the last decade, selling over 600,000 copies.
The title itself has sold over 3.5 million worldwide, per Boom!, a figure that includes all the floppies, the collected editions and specials.
The 2024 BRZRKR novel titled "The Book of Elsewhere', written by China Miéville and Reeves, became a New York Times best-seller after being published by Del Rey, the imprint from Penguin Random House, the publisher that owns Boom!
There is also an anime spinoff in development, to be written by Tomlin, as well as merchandizing from brand developer IMG.
Adam Yoelin is exec producing for Boom!
Lin began his career making dramatic indies, then ascended to Hollywood highs directing five 'Fast & Furious" movies and helping to turn it into a multi-billion dollar franchise for Universal.
He also helmed 'Star Trek Beyond" and episodes of "True Detective" and the pilot of the recent "Magnum P.I." reboot, all under the banner of his Perfect Storm production company.
He decided return to his indie to roots for a recharge, making 'Last Days", which tells the tragic story of missionary John Allen Chau, who was killed by a tribe living on an island in the Indian Ocean.
But making movies in the indie space can be fraught, as he discovered. After successfully lining up financing on the risky story, Lin was emotionally crushed when it fell through at a key moment. That was when Reeves called and offered to help, Lin revealed in an interview with Collider while debuting the feature at Sundance.
“For a year, we thought we had our financing, and I met some people, and it turned out not to be true,” Lin said. “It’s one of those darkest moments where I felt like, ‘I tried my best. We tried.’ I felt really bad because (actor) Sky Yang was already prepping, and I’m like, ‘Oh, I think that’s it…’ Then Keanu called out of the blue, and he’s like, ‘I heard you’re having some problems. I want to help.’ It was so inspirational.”
Lin called Reeves an “angel” of the movie.
The filmmaker is also attached to direct "Two For the Money", a heist thriller that has Charlize Theron and Daniel Craig attached that is set up at Apple.
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