Could Vin Diesel be the one to spearhead Sony’s fledgling Valiant universe?
That’s the latest comic book-related rumor doing the rounds online, with The Wrap claiming that Diesel has now entered talks to star in Bloodshot, presumably at the expense of Jared Leto.
The Suicide Squad and Blade Runner 2049 star was originally linked with the long-gestating project six months ago, during which time the likes of Oscar Isaac (The Last Jedi) and James McAvoy (X-Men: Dark Phoenix) were seemingly in contention, too.
Fast forward to now, and it seems Sony has whittled down its list of potential super-soldiers to only one – Vin Diesel. Should a deal place, the Fast and Furious veteran will help launch a five-film series based on popular Valiant comics in the vein of “Harbinger” and “Bloodshot,” and we understand the latter adaptation will be angled as an R-rated feature in the spirit of Logan and Deadpool.
First created in 1992 by Kevin Van Hook, Don Perlin and Bob Layton, Bloodshot largely centers around a wounded soldier pulled back from the brink of death thanks to bleeding-edge nanotechnology. Part man, part machine, our titular lead then sets about hunting down a series of rogue metahumans with fantastical abilities, so it’s small wonder why Valiant’s property has become something of a fan-favorite since its inception.
Vin Diesel, on the other hand, has dabbled in fantasy before thanks to Riddick and The Last Witch Hunter, though the fact that the latter movie was originally intended to spawn a shared universe of its own will leave many looking toward this Bloodshot scoop with cautious optimism.
What we do know, however, is that Bloodshot will be helmed by freshman director Dave Wilson, with a script from Eric Heisserer of Arrival fame. The creative duo has already name-dropped Terminator and RoboCop as big inspirations, so now all that’s left is for Vin Diesel – or indeed any other actor – to sign on in an official capacity.
