Netflix adds another superhero project with Irredeemable

Announced by Netflix this past week, the Irredeemable live action film will be directed by BAFTA award winner Jeymes Samuel (The Harder They Fall). The script will be penned by Oscar-nominated Kemp Powers (Soul). Interestingly, one of the producers will be Shawn Carter, more popularly known as Jay-Z.

Irredeemable was written by comic book legend Mark Waid. Waid is famous for impressive comic book runs for both DC Comics and Marvel, such as The Flash, Justice League, Superman, Captain America, Avengers, Fantastic Four, the X-Men, and more. Irredeemable is one of his creator-owned works which was illustrated by Peter Krause.

In an interview with Deadline, Waid had this to say about the upcoming adaptation of his bestselling comic book series: Peter and I are thrilled to death that a writer and a director we both admire are bringing Irredeemable to life in a faithful and respectful way while inventing their own twists and turns. Their unique take on the comic makes it unlike any anti-hero story I've ever heard, and I love it. https://twitter.com/DeadlineMike/status/1504508879450755088

This will be the first time Jeymes Samuel will take on a superhero property. However, he is no stranger to genre filming with tropes of good vs. evil, as shown in The Harder They Fall. An alternative and stylistic approach to the cowboy genre in the same vein of the Red Dead Redemption games, Samuel expressed his unique take on familiar character tropes from westerns: I wanted to tell a story and to have these characters portrayed in a movie where they're not subservient. They're not less than human. They're not less than anything. Irredeemable will also be executive produced by Kemp Powers and Adam Yoelin, overseen by Mette Norkjaer for BOOM! Studios. What is Irredeemable? Irredeemable is a non-traditional superhero tale, exploring the rise and fall of Earth's champion. Here is the synopsis of the Irredeemable storyline: When the world's most powerful and beloved superhero, the god-like Plutonian, inexplicably begins slaughtering everyone on Earth, the only person that can stop him is his former arch-nemesis, the super-powered villain Max Damage. Unwillingly thrust into the role of savior, Max must uncover the Plutonian's mysterious past in order to discover how to bring him down. But can he discover what made the Plutonian go crazy before his own degenerative super powers cause him to lose his mind? The Plutonian is very much a Superman analogue, with a similar power set and the concept of being a paragon of virtue. But the story inevitably turns dark, as the Plutonian becomes more like The Boys' Homelander, Invincible's Omni-Man, or the Injustice version of the Man of Steel.

The comic book series had a follow-up titled Incorruptible also written by Mark Waid. This sequel followed the journey of Max Damage fully becoming a superhero. Should the Netflix Irredeemable project prove to be successful, this sequel series will likely be the continuation of it. More Netflix supers Irredeemable joins the ranks of superhero properties that Netflix have brought attention to a new audience. The streaming giant had previously been the home of Marvel shows such as Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, and Defenders.

But aside from the MCU, Netflix also showcased content that are not from the Marvel or DC Comics such as The Umbrella Academy (now on its third season), Warrior Nun, Project Power, Jupiter's Legacy, and most recently Adi Shankar's Guardians of Justice. Aside from Irredeemable, other superhero properties that are currently in development for Netflix are Matt Wagner's Grendel and Keanu Reeves's BRZRKR. With the proven market and profitability of the superhero genre, we can expect even more of these movies and series in the future.

Irredeemable will be produced by Shawn 'Jay-Z' Carter, James Lassiter, Jeymes Samuel and Stephen Christy & Ross Richie for BOOM! Studios. Release date on the Netflix streaming platform will be announced in the future.

You can catch the work of director Jeymes Samuel in the western action drama The Harder They Fall, available on Netflix right now.