When it comes to comic book adaptations, the likes of Marvel and DC are the first to pop into the minds of the masses, as would be the case with anything involving the medium. But we’d be remiss to ignore the significant splash made by Image Comics, whose properties such as The Walking Dead, Paper Girls, and Invincible have done their fair share of wowing audiences from all over with their deftly-crafted screen adaptations.
And Rob Liefeld is hoping to emulate that success with one of his own Image Comics characters, with Prophet, a film based on the titular character, seeming to be firmly in the creative pipeline.
Backed with a script by Marc Guggenheim (Arrow) and a director’s chair occupied by Sam Hargrave (Extraction series of films), Prophet adapts the original story of John Prophet, originally written by Liefeld. Starring Jake Gyllenhaal in the title role, the film follows Prophet, an unhinged super-soldier who awakens from cryostasis, with only the knowledge of an important mission to keep him company. Unbeknownst to him, he awoke too early, and Prophet finds himself in danger of breaking down over a mission that doesn’t exist yet.
Liefeld, who was also responsible for dreaming up the character of Wade Wilson (aka Deadpool), is all in on the adaptation, and speaking with ComicBook.com, was all too happy to share the creative developments that have taken place since the project began in 2020.
“Here’s the deal: Sam Hargrave’s still on board. Jake Gyllenhaal still completely engaged. Jake has come on as a producer. Prophet is like…I wish I could share the screenplay with everybody. It’s that old adage: if it’s not on the page, it’s not on the screen. Marc Guggenheim, his draft got us Sam Hargrave, got us Jake Gyllenhaal. That’s how good the paper is…”
Given the schedules of Gyllenhaal’s Road House and Hargave’s Extraction 2, it makes sense why we haven’t heard much on the state of Prophet thus far. But with Liefeld’s enthusiasm for one of his darlings backing the film, it seems like it’s guaranteed to find life sooner or later.