Valiant Comics' 'Bloodshot' Heading for the Big Screen

Valiant

Bloodshot, the Valiant comic books character who has been described as a modern-day Frankenstein, is making his way to the big screen.

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Columbia Pictures is closing a deal to acquire the rights to adapt Bloodshot into a feature film to be produced by Neal H. Moritz, through his Original Film banner, and Jason Kothari and Dinesh Shamdasani on behalf of Valiant Entertainment, it was announced Wednesday by Hannah Minghella, Columbia president of production. 

Jeff Wadlow (Prey), who is writing the screenplay actually instigated the project. A fan of the character, Wadlow, repped by WME, wrote a spec script that attracted Moritz's attention.

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Bloodshot, who first appeared in Valiant comic books in 1992, has appeared in more than 70 issues. Valiant, founded in 1989, is re-launching the character this year as it returns to publishing in May.

Bloodshot entered the Valiant universe as mob killer Angelo Mortalli, who enters a witness protection program and then becomes part of a secret experiment to create the ultimate killing machine. His memories are erased and he is injected with microscopic computers called nanites. As he tries to rediscover who he was, he battles both the mob and the police.

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“The Bloodshot character has been a fan favorite for nearly two decades, selling  approximately 7 million comic books globally. Because there have been more than 1,500 pages of storylines published, there is a rich legacy to draw from as we develop the screenplay.  Neal is one of the best action producers working today and we know he is the right filmmaker to take on this potential franchise,” Minghella said.

Moritz and his Original Film are currently in post-production on four films: 21 Jump Street and Total Recall for Columbia Pictures, R.I.P.D. for Universal, and Warner Bros.' Jack the Giant Killer. He is beginning pre-production on the sixth entry in the Fast and Furious franchise as well as on Dead Man Down, starring Colin Farrell and Noomi Rapace.