Valiant effort
Valiant | Everything you need to know about Sony’s new comic-book superhero franchise.
Originally founded by former Marvel boss Jim Shooter in 1989, Valiant Entertainment has, since its revival in 2012, established itself as the most successful shared superhero universe outside of Marvel and DC. Now fan-favourites Bloodshot and Harbinger are poised to conquer the big screen as part of a five-picture deal with Sony, to be overseen by Fast & Furious producers Neal H. Moritz and Toby Jaffe. Here’s the lowdown on the key players... Bloodshot Directed by John Wick’s David Leitch and Chad Stahelski from a script by Kick-Ass 2’ s Jeff Wadlow and Eric Heisserer ( Story Of Your Life) and with Matthew Vaughn executive producing, 2017’s first cinematic salvo – Bloodshot – bears impressive credentials. Resembling a cybernetically enhanced Jack Reacher, the alabaster-skinned amnesiac assassin was transformed by paramilitary group Project Rising Spirit into the perfect killing machine. He is currently coming to terms with his past in Jeff Lemire and Mico Suayan’s Bloodshot Reborn. Harbinger Centring around psychically gifted teenager Peter Stanchek, Harbinger is due shortly after Bloodshot. Inducted into the secretive Harbinger Foundation by its enigmatic leader and fellow all-powerful Omega Harbinger Toyo Harada, the troubled runaway splits with his would-be mentor after his best friend is murdered. While Eric Heisserer will again script, a director has yet to be announced, although fans will hope that X-Men: The Last Stand helmer Brett Ratner, who developed a Harbinger film in 2008, isn’t tempted to return. The Harbinger Wars After they both appear in their respective sequels, Bloodshot and Harbinger will unite for The Harbinger Wars. Originally published in comic book form in 2013, the new Valiant’s first ever crossover storyline sees the pair locking horns after war erupts between Project Rising Spirit and the Harbinger Foundation over their precious but volatile resources – the Harbingers themselves. Archer & Armstrong Teaming up puritanical former child assassin Obadiah Archer with incorrigible hard-drinking immortal ‘Aram’ Armstrong, Archer & Armstrong’s endearing combination of Da Vinci Code- style historical conspiracies with goofball buddy comedy antics boasts plenty of humorous potential, making the mismatched allies the ideal offbeat candidates to kick off any prospective Valiant movie-verse Phase Two. From X-O Manowar to Unity As Valiant’s flagship book, it’s curious that an X-O Manowar movie has never yet surfaced, especially given that Visigoth warrior Aric of Dacia’s combo of Conan- esque fantasy with alien, Iron Man-esque tech makes him stand out. Ice Cube unsuccessfully lobbied to headline a feature film in 1989, while J. Michael Straczynski’s 2012 script for a proposed film of supernatural series Shadowman suffered a similar fate. But maybe one day they’ll both unite in Unity, Valiant’s similarly heavyweight answer to the Avengers and the Justice League. SJ
ETA | 2017 Bloodshot is in production.