‘Black Leopard, Red Wolf:’ Michael B. Jordan Adapting “African Game Of Thrones”
Animal-themed epic fantasies are turning out to beMichael B. Jordan’s projects of choice. Jordan is going fromBlack PanthertoBlack Leopard, Red Wolfwith his latest feature film project, which the actor is set to produce via his Outlier Society. Based onMarlon James’epic fantasy novel described as an “AfricanGame of Thrones,” theBlack Leopard, Red Wolfmovie is the first feature under Jordan’s first-look deal with Warner Bros. that he signed last month.
The Hollywood Reporterbroke the news that Jordan is set to produce an adaptation ofBlack Leopard, Red Wolf, which follows a man named Tracker as he encounters giants, necromancers, witches, and shapeshifters on his quest to find a kidnapped boy in a fantastical Africa. The book just hit shelves Tuesday, but has already gained high-profile fans like Neil Gaiman.
Here is the book synopsis forBlack Leopard, Red Wolf:
Tracker is known far and wide for his skills as a hunter: “He has a nose,” people say. Engaged to track down a mysterious boy who disappeared three years earlier, Tracker breaks his own rule of always working alone when he finds himself part of a group that comes together to search for the boy. The band is a hodgepodge, full of unusual characters with secrets of their own, including a shape-shifting man-animal known as Leopard. As Tracker follows the boy’s scent–from one ancient city to another; into dense forests and across deep rivers–he and the band are set upon by creatures intent on destroying them. As he struggles to survive, Tracker starts to wonder: Who, really, is this boy? Why has he been missing for so long? Why do so many people want to keep Tracker from finding him? And perhaps the most important questions of all: Who is telling the truth, and who is lying?
The first in a trilogy of books that James, who wrote the acclaimedA Brief History of Seven Killings,Black Leopard, Red Wolfhas been compared toGame of Thrones— which makes Jordan’s attachment to the project all the more fitting, since thosecomparisons were also made withBlack Panther, in which Jordan was a breakout star.
James will serve as an executive producer on the adaptation. There’s no word on who will star, direct, or pen the adaptation yet, though with Jordan’s alreadyfull plate, it’s unlikely he’ll star in the film. In addition to the Warner Bros. first-look deal, Jordan has also signed a deal with Amazon all the while indulging rumors that hemay returninBlack Panther 2.
