Marc Copani and Shad Gaspard (known as Muhammad Hassan and Cryme Tyme respectively during their time in the WWE) recently revealed their graphic novel, Assassin and Son: Path of Vengeance. Set in present day New York, the story follows Donovan Braddock; a one-man killing unit who works with a team of assassins known as "The Horsemen." When he tries to leave his old life behind, his wife is murdered in front of him, sending him and his young son on an epic journey of revenge and consequence that becomes their "Path of Vengeance." Talking to EP Daily at the San Diego Comic-Con a few weeks ago, Gaspard has revealed why exactly they decided to turn down Lionsgate's offer to adapt the series, as well as offering an update on the cartoon and video game prequels. Check out the interview below and head on over to AssassinAndSon.com for more details.
"I'm working on my graphic novel, Assassin & Son: Path of Vengeance. It's the first instalment of our series. We have a franchise series based on a screenplay that we wrote; me and Marc Copani. It takes place in New York City and it tells the story of Donovan Braddock, a hired assassin who's part of a crew of assassin's called 'The Horsemen'. When they turn on him and kill his wife, he and his son Gordon go into hiding for ten years."
"When we first wrote the screenplay, we optioned it and we almost optioned it to Lionsgate, but then they wanted to change a lot of things. They wanted to make it one of those fluff PG-13, happy-go-lucky kind of things, and we were like, 'Hell no!' So, we decided to make the graphic novel first and the graphic novel is basically the screenplay."
"Then we decided to create the video game and that is everything that happens before the graphic novel, so it tells the back story of all the characters and how they led up to the beginning of the graphic novel and the movie. Then we also decided to create the cartoon, which tells the ten years in-between, so now we have a full story from the video game to graphic novel and movie to cartoon. We got a lot of stuff!"
"A lot of comments came in from people who were in the industry that two guys, who are professional wrestlers for one, shouldn't be writing a comic. I'm a comic book fan first, ok? I love comics, I love video games and that's my passion. My job is an entertainer. Don't judge me on my job."