Patrick Stewart, Sam Claflin to Star in Michael Bay’s Netflix Series Barbaric

Netflix is bringing the popular Vault comic, Barbaric, to life in a new series adaptation. The project, as reported by Deadline, will feature Sam Claflin in the lead role of Owen the Barbarian. Claflin will also serve as an executive producer for the series. Patrick Stewart joins the cast as the voice of The Axe, adding his notable presence to the project. The series is being produced by A+E Studios along with Sheldon Turner and Jennifer Klein’s 100% Productions.

Sheldon Turner is set to write the series, while Michael Bay is in negotiations to direct. Fans of the comic can expect a thrilling blend of violence and humor, as the series is described as a mix of Deadpool and Game of Thrones. The medieval fantasy follows Owen the Barbarian, who is cursed to perform only good deeds, and his enchanted, sarcastic talking axe.

Once a ruthless warrior, Owen now finds himself constrained by a curse that forces him to always do the right thing. This dramatic shift in his life comes with the aid of his sentient weapon, a talking axe with a penchant for humor and a thirst for blood.

Alongside Turner and Klein, who are executive producing through their 100% Productions banner, Vault Comics’ F.J. DeSanto and Damian Wassel will also serve as executive producers. Claflin, Luke Carroll, and Michael Stevenson from Cusp Films are set to executive produce, as well as A+E Studios’ Barry Jossen and Tana Jamieson.

Neither Netflix nor A+E Studios has issued a comment regarding the series as of yet.

Barbaric, which was published in 2021, received considerable acclaim for its co-creator and writer Michael Moreci and co-creator and artist Nathan Gooden. Should this series proceed, it would mark Michael Bay’s first venture into directing for television.

Sam Claflin has gained recognition for his captivating performances across several notable projects. He received a Golden Globe nomination for his role in Prime Video’s Daisy Jones & The Six. Claflin is also known for playing Finnick Odair in the Hunger Games franchise, Oswald Mosley in Peaky Blinders, and Mycroft Holmes in Netflix’s Enola Holmes. Upcoming, he will star in a series adaptation of The Count of Monte Cristo, alongside Jeremy Irons.

Patrick Stewart recently concluded his iconic role as Jean-Luc Picard in Paramount+’s Star Trek: Picard, which is set 20 years post the events of Star Trek: Nemesis. He is rumored to make a cameo in the Marvel Studios movie Deadpool & Wolverine as Professor Charles Xavier, a character he has famously portrayed in the X-Men franchise.

When questioned about these rumors, Stewart commented, “I cannot put it to rest because it’s not a fact either for or against. It’s a possibility.”

Source: Deadline