The story that inspired Denzel Washington’s ‘Man on Fire’ is getting a Netflix series
Back in 2004, Denzel Washington absolutely ate the role of John Creasy in Man on Fire, and no doubt the movie still holds up. In case you haven’t watched it, the story follows a burnt-out former operative hired to protect a young girl in Mexico City. You can sense that things are about to go wrong, and they do in fact; Creasy goes all in to hunt down the people responsible.
Directed by Tony Scott, the film ended up becoming a huge fan favourite, and it still rules the charts of Netflix every now and then. For a lot of people, it’s still one of Washington’s most iconic action roles. Also, a key fact people often miss is that this movie was based on a book.
And now, the story is getting a new life, and honestly, it’s kind of a big win for fans of the original. A new TV adaptation of Man on Fire is heading to Netflix, with Yahya Abdul-Mateen II playing the role of Creasy this time. A big change is that instead of cramming everything into one movie, Netflix is giving us a show that will tell us the story across several episodes. And that’s the reason why it’s a win for the fans of this film, because now they can watch both the movie and the character getting more room to breathe.
The new series follows Creasy at a point where he is trying to rebuild his life after years working as a Special Forces mercenary. That fresh start doesn’t last very long, though, because he ends up getting pulled back into a dangerous situation while protecting a young girl. Safe to say, Creasy’s peaceful era doesn’t really last.
The novel that inspired Man on Fire
What many people don’t realise is that the story behind Man on Fire didn’t actually start in Hollywood. The film was based on a 1980 novel of the same name written by A. J. Quinnell. That was the first time that John Creasy was introduced to readers as a former soldier who finds himself working as a bodyguard and slowly forming a bond with the child he is meant to protect.
While the main idea of the story stayed the same, the 2004 movie moved the setting to Mexico City and focused more on the action style that director Tony Scott was known for. At the same time, the original novel by A. J. Quinnell was popular enough to turn Creasy into the hero of several books, which indicates that the upcoming Netflix series has a lot more potential than the movie.
That’s part of the reason the new series could end up feeling very different from the film. Instead of squeezing the whole story into a two-hour revenge movie, the show now has more time to explore Creasy’s past and the world around him.
Who’s in the cast?
For the new adaptation, the role of John Creasy is being taken over by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, who many viewers will recognise from projects like Watchmen and Aquaman. Taking on a character that was so strongly associated with Denzel Washington is no small task, but Abdul-Mateen has already proven he can handle intense roles.
As far as it comes to the release, Netflix hasn’t confirmed a premiere date for the series yet. What we do know is that the show is being developed as a multi-episode story, which should give the character and the world of Man on Fire a lot more room to develop than the original movie ever had.
For fans of the 2004 film, that’s probably the most exciting part. The story remains the same, but they get to spend more time with Creasy on the screen.