Michael B. Jordan to lead The Silver Bear
Deadline has brought word that Creed II star Michael B. Jordan has signed on to star and produce the upcoming hitman thriller The Silver Bear from Lionsgate
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Based on a book series surrounding hitman Columbus from screenwriter Derek Haas (Wanted, Chicago P.D.), the film will follow Columbus from his modest origins to becoming one of the most feared and respected assassins after killing the Speaker of the House, who also happens to be his father.
The film will be scripted by Frank Baldwin, who is currently penning the Warriors TV adaptation with the Russo Brothers and the upcoming crime biopic The Godmother starring Catalina Sandino Moreno (Maria Full of Grace). Jordan will produce the adaptation of the the four-novel series through his production company Outlier Society, which is currently working on the upcoming TV shows Raising Dion, in which Jordan will also have a recurring role, and web series Gen: Lock from Rooster Teeth’s Gray Haddock, in which Jordan will also star.
The rights to the novel were optioned by Nickel City Pictures, who are also behind the upcoming Liam Neeson thriller Hard Powder, and will be produced by Vishal Rungta, Mark Fasano and Ankur Rungta. Lionsgate seeks to turn the novel adaptation into a potential franchise.
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“We could not be more excited to work with Michael and Lionsgate,” Rungta said. “We have been huge fans of Michael all the way back to his days in ‘The Wire,’ and from our first meeting we knew that he was the perfect fit for the role of Columbus.”
Jordan has received acclaim in the past few years for his roles in the 2015 sports drama Creed, in which he played the son of Apollo Creed from the hit Rocky franchise, and in this year’s critical and commercial hit Black Panther from Marvel as villain Erik “Killmonger” Stevens. He will next be reprising his role as Adonis “Donnie” Johnson Creed in the upcoming sequel Creed II, which is set to hit theaters on November 21.
(Photo Credit: Getty Images)
