GRENDEL: Netflix Pulls Plug On Dark Horse Adaptation After Shooting Nearly An Entire Season

Grendel was set to be an eight-episode adaptation of the popular Dark Horse comic book series, but Netflix has pulled the plug after shooting nearly an entire season. Read on for further details...

By JoshWilding - Oct 01, 2022 05:10 PM EST

Filed Under: Dark Horse

While this news is unlikely to generate the outpouring of shock that Batgirl's cancellation received, it's been confirmed (via ActioNewz.com) that Netflix has pulled the plug on Grendel despite having already shot most of the first season.

Based on the Dark Horse comic book of the same name by Matt Wagner, Grendel, a.k.a. Hunter Rose, is an assassin and crimelord who, in the early 90s, actually starred in a crossover with Batman. After heading to New York City to avenge the death of a lost love, he goes to war with the Big Apple's underworld, only to realise...why beat them when you can join them?

What was to be an eight-episode TV series looked to serve as the anti-hero's live-action debut, and the project was first announced last September.

Since then, Supernatural executive producer Andrew Dabb had been tapped to serve as showrunner, while Abubakr Ali was cast in the title role, with Kevin Corrigan as Barry Palumbo, Julian Black Antelope as Argent, Emma Ho as Stacy Palumbo, and The Flash star Andy Mientus as Larry Stohler.

Ali looked set to be the first Arab Muslim actor to star as the lead of a comic book adaptation, but for reasons that aren't entirely clear, Netflix has chosen to scrap the project. While Grendel hadn't entirely finished shooting, it was very nearly done, so the streamer must have decided it simply wasn't worth continuing.

This may not be it for the show, however, as the producers do have the option to shop it elsewhere. Assuming it's not horrendously bad, we can't imagine why a streamer or network wouldn't jump at the chance to finish the show off after Netflix bore the brunt of the costs, adding a pretty decent-sounding comic book series to their library.

Mientus has shared his brutally honest thoughts on what's happened, and you can read his statement in full below. We'll keep you updated on this one in the coming weeks.

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A post shared by Andy Mientus (@andymientus)

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68 Comments

1 2

GhostDog - 10/1/2022, 5:01 PM

[frick] you Netflix!

Lokiwasright - 10/1/2022, 5:03 PM

People deserve nothing since they like being r*ped by government and by hollyweird and by corporations...

😂 🤣

TheUnworthyThor - 10/1/2022, 5:05 PM

@Lokiwasright - You got issues.

MsSensibility - 10/1/2022, 5:07 PM

@Lokiwasright - Weirdo. Hop off the Internet for us, please.

TheUnworthyThor - 10/1/2022, 5:04 PM

What the hell is going on nowadays? Cancelling nearly completed shows and movies?? What is this madness? Hopefully someone picks it up because I would quite like to see Grendel in live-action.

GhostDog - 10/1/2022, 5:07 PM

@TheUnworthyThor - it’s such a great comic series. Never gets the love it deserves.

TheUnworthyThor - 10/1/2022, 5:10 PM

@GhostDog - Yeah, it seemed like everyone loved it in the 90’s, and then overnight one day the entire world forgot it existed.

Sabre81 - 10/1/2022, 5:18 PM

@TheUnworthyThor - Wouldn't be a reaction to VFX salaries or anything? I mean, if the thing is shot and about to go into post-production and all of a sudden they are being strong armed over VFX Artist salaries so decided not to go through with what's going on these days? I have no idea. Only thing I could possibly even contemplate or imagine why.

thekabsin - 10/1/2022, 10:28 PM

@TheUnworthyThor - apparently a lot of shows and movies are produced as a result of tax incentives/write offs. I learned of this when I questioned Tyler Perry’s success. Pretty good if you have x amount of dollars, companies to pay, and good tax guy/gal/non-binary whatever

grif - 10/1/2022, 5:13 PM

oh well

1 2

GRENDEL: Netflix Pulls Plug On Dark Horse Adaptation After Shooting Nearly An Entire Season

Grendel was set to be an eight-episode adaptation of the popular Dark Horse comic book series, but Netflix has pulled the plug after shooting nearly an entire season. Read on for further details...

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