bloodshot harbinger

The already crowded comic book movie schedule is about to get even more so.

Valiant Entertainment and Sony Pictures announced Tuesday that a deal has been struck to bring two of the comic publisher’s biggest franchises, Bloodshot and Harbinger, to the silver screen.

The films are part of a five-film deal that will culminate in Harbinger Wars, which will serve as a shared universe film in the vein of Marvel’s The Avengers.

Bloodshot will be up first, set to hit screens in 2017. David Leitch and Chad Stahleski (John Wick) are set to direct from a Jeff Wadlow and Eric Heisserer script. Wadlow penned the script for Kick Ass 2, while Heisserer wrote the script for Story of Your Life. Neal H. Moritz and Toby Jaffe from The Fast and The Furious franchise will produce the film alongside Valiant’s Dinesh Shamdasani.

Heisserer will script the Harbinger film, which will follow soon after Bloodshot’s debut. A director has not been named, but Moritz, Jaffe and Shamdasani will produce.

Both films will have sequels before the story culminates in Harbinger Wars, a film inspired by the comic book crossover that shook the comic line to the core in 2013.

“Valiant is one of the most successful publishers in the history of comics, and Neal is one of the best action producers in the business today. This is a formidable partnership that will bring two incredibly commercial franchises with global appeal together on the big screen,” said Sony Entertainment Motion Picture Group President Doug Belgrad. “The long-term plan that begins with Bloodshot will be a considerable priority for Sony in the months and years to come.”
Moritz feels that “Bloodshot and Harbinger are two of the great untapped franchises anywhere in comics. In partnership with Sony and Valiant, we look forward to building the next great generation of superhero films.”

Bloodshot tells the story of an unstoppable killing machine with enchanced speed, strength endurance and healing, a man brought back from the dead and infused with nanotechnology that gives him these incredible abilities.

Harbinger shines the spotlight on runaway Peter Stanchek and his recruitment by the mysterious Harbinger Foundation by its mysterious CEO, Toyo Harada.

“Sony Pictures and Neal Moritz are the ideal partners to bring the world of Bloodshot and Harbinger to life,” said Shamdasani. “They understand exactly what makes these characters tick and the exciting potential that they hold. These films are just the first step in partnership with Sony to bring Valiant’s biggest heroes to new audiences worldwide.”

Valiant celebrated its 25th anniversary this year, and in March it was announced that a nine-figure film financing partnership with Beijing-based DMG was struck.