Michael Bay is heading to television.
The director, known for his muscular and high-revving big-screen action franchises such as Bad Boys and Transformers, is in talks to direct Barbaric, an acerbic fantasy series based on the best-selling Vault Comics title.
Netflix has picked up the bold-faced series package, which it will develop with A+E Studios.
Sam Claflin and Patrick Stewart are attached to star in the series, which will be written and exec produced by Sheldon Turner, known for his feature credits such as Up in the Air and X-Men: First Class.
Joining the exec producing team are Jennifer Klein, Turner’s partner at 100% Productions, which has a first-look deal with A+E, as well as F.J. DeSanto and Damian Wassel of Vault Comics. Claflin will also exec produce via his production company Cusp Films and the company’s Luke Carroll and Michael Stevenson. Barry Jossen and Tana Jamieson of A+E Studios round out the exec producing team.
Launched in 2021 and created by writer Michael Moreci and artist Nathan Gooden, Vault’s Barbaric featured a talking demonic axe and Owen, a barbarian looking for redemption. It proved to be a surprise, massive hit for the indie publisher, with the comics collected into three volumes and selling over 500,000 units, per the publisher. It has been translated into six languages and launched a spin-off series, Queen of Swords.
Barbaric Cover
Courtesy of Vault Comics
Claflin is attached to star as Owen while Stewart will provide the voice of the demonic axe.
Netflix did not comment on the pending deals or development.
Bay is at the nexus of several of the players in the Barbaric project. The filmmaker worked with Turner on Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning, the 2006 reboot of the horror classic which Bay produced. And Bay is already working with Vault, via his Platinum Dunes banner, on a story universe created by musical artist Post Malone. He is repped by WME, Range Media and Sloane Offer.
Claflin played Finnick Odair in The Hunger Games movies and starred with Emilia Clarke in the romantic drama Me Before You. He last starred with Riley Keough in Daisy Jones and the Six. Claflin is repped by CAA, UK’s Independent Talent Group and Glaser Weil.
Stewart last starred in Star Trek: Picard, reprising one of his iconic roles. He is repped by CAA, Anonymous Content and UK’s Independent Talent Group.
Vault is repped by UTA, Industry Entertainment, and Weintraub Tobin.
