Michael Bay, after years of blowing shit up on the big screen, is finally making the move to series television. According to THR, Bay is negotiating to direct Netflix’s adaptation of the Vault Comics series, Barbaric, with Patrick Stewart and Sam Claflin set to star in the limb-chopping fantasy.
Barbaric follows Owen, a barbarian looking for redemption. He carries with him a talking demonic axe. Claflin is aboard to play Owen, while Stewart will bring his signature voice to the trusty weapon. Claflin will also exec-produce the series. Sheldon Turner, known for penning the critically acclaimed film Up in the Air, will handle the script and exec-produce.
Published in 2021 by writer Michael Moreci and artist Nathan Gooden, Barbaric quickly became one of the most successful indie comics titles. Sales of the three volumes hit 500K, leading to an eventual spinoff series.
Bay is obviously known for his huge, muscular action movies, but he’s been pretty quiet of late. He last directed 2022’s Ambulance, which was a box office flop despite decent reviews. Before that was his first film for Netflix, 2019’s panned wannabe blockbuster, 6 Underground. Barbaric will be a reunion of Bay and Turner, who worked together on The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning, which Turner wrote and Bay produced through Platinum Dunes.