In 2004, Denzel Washington played the iconic role of John Creasy in Tony Scott’s Man on Fire. 22 years later, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II takes over the role of Creasy in Man on Fire, now streaming on Netflix in the U.S.
Man on Fire is based on the 1980 action book by A.J. Quinnell. The book was adapted into a movie twice: in 1987 with Scott Glenn and in 2004 with Washington. Unlike the two movies, Netflix’s Man on Fire will be a seven-episode television show.
How is Netflix’s Man on Fire different from the movies?
A new take on a popular story
The 1987 film and 2004 adaptation take similar approaches in their plots. Glenn’s Christian Creasy is an ex-CIA officer hired as a bodyguard to protect a young girl in a wealthy Italian family. In Washington’s adaptation, which is the better movie, John Creasy is an ex-CIA agent turned mercenary and bodyguard for a young girl in Mexico City. After the girl is kidnapped, Creasy goes to hell and back to retrieve her. In other words, he’ll do whatever it takes—even if his methods are illegal.
The Netflix series channels the spirit of the 2004 movie. Mateen’s Creasy is a stone-cold killer—a Special Forces soldier battling PTSD as his demons consume his every thought. Creasy is brought into Brazil to protect Poe Rayburn (Billie Boullet), a teenager who witnessed a tragic event involving nefarious figures. Unlike the movie where Creasy hunts down the girl’s captors, the show has Creasy protecting Poe from the terrorists who want her dead. When I say protect, I mean torture, hurt, and kill.
The show also adapts two books in Quinnell’s series—Man on Fire and The Perfect Kill—instead of one.
Man on Fire also stars Alice Braga as Valeria Melo, Scoot McNairy as Henry Tappan, Paul Ben-Victor as Moncrief, and Bobby Cannavale as Paul Rayburn.
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These movies all earned their Oscars’ glory.
Kyle Killen, who co-wrote Fear Street 1994 and developed the sci-fi series Halo, is the writer, showrunner, and executive producer of Man on Fire. Steven Caple Jr., who directed Creed II, helmed the show’s first two episodes.
I can’t imagine the pressure Mateen felt to fill Washington’s shoes. However, the trailer proves Mateen is more than capable of handling the action-packed source material. Mateen certainly has the talent—the 39-year-old won an Emmy for his work in Watchmen.
Man on Fire combines the action of Reacher with the intrigue of Jack Ryan. If fans respond positively to the show, then Netflix could have a potential franchise on its hands.
Source: Netflix
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