Michael Bay is headed to the small screen!
The Hollywood Reporter revealed today that Bay is in talks with Netflix to direct the streamers’ upcoming “acerbic fantasy series” Barbaric.
The show is based on a best-selling graphic novel series published by Vault Comics.
Patrick Stewart and Sam Claflin of Peaky Blinders fame are currently attached to star.
Bay, of course, is best known for his big-screen action epics, such as the Transformers and Bad Boys series, The Rock, and Pearl Harbor.
So working within the confines of a TV budget might prove challenging to Bay.
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We’re sure he’s up to the task, however, and his willingness to scale down his larger-than-life aesthetic might be a testament to his enthusiasm for the story.
Claflin will star as the murderous barbarian Owen, while Stewart will provide the voice of his demonic talking ax.
Neither Netflix nor Bay’s team has commented on today’s THR report.
But according to several insiders, Bay is at the center of this project, and he’s the force that has brought the various elements together.
The blockbuster auteur worked with showrunner Sheldon Turner on The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning, and he’s currently collaborating with Vault on a different project, a story universe created by Post Malone.
So yeah, Bay is a busy guy.
And that means the Barabaric series might not hit our screens as soon as some of the comic series’ fans had hoped.
But the good news is that Bay’s involvement means the project will almost certainly see the light of day at some point.
It also means that the series is that much more likely to have a longer shelf life.
Netflix’s cancel-happy ways have become the stuff of infamy in recent years, and the streamer has demonstrated a frustrating reluctance to give new series enough time to build an audience.
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Will the combination of the comics’ popularity and Bay’s signature turn Barbaric into Netflix’s next huge hit?
Only time will tell, but this project has “potential smash” written all over it!
What do you think, TV fanatics? Can Michael Bay adapt his style to the small screen? Hit the comments section below to share your thoughts!