Netflix’s acquisition of Warner Bros. isn’t the only goal the streaming behemoth has set its sights on. Netflix is in the best position to take the creative and financial risks necessary to breathe life into complex, high-concept properties that traditional studios have struggled to finalize. Without a doubt, the company is always looking for the next phenomenon.
Brian Michael Bendis has fundamentally reshaped the landscape of modern storytelling, particularly in the Marvel Universe. From the grounded, gritty streets of Daredevil to the cinematic scale of the Avengers, his influence is woven into the very DNA of the contemporary comic book boom. However, his creative legacy is far more diverse than the superhero genre.
Zach Cregger’s Torso Adaptation Will Bring Brian Michael Bendis’ Horror Gem To Life
A Torso Adaptation Is More Likely Now Than Ever
The cinematic adaptation of Brian Michael Bendis and Marc Andreyko’s Torso has finally secured its home at Netflix. As reported by The Hollywood Reporter, a powerhouse production team that includes horror visionary Zach Cregger and suspense veterans Nick Antosca and Roy Lee have signed on to produce a Torso adaptation, with original creators Bendis and Andreyko serving as executive producers. It seems like the project finally has the creative momentum necessary to translate its gritty, ink-drenched aesthetic to the screen.
Bendis’ 1998 graphic novel dives into the real-world mystery of the Cleveland Torso Murderer that haunted the writer’s hometown in the 1930s. At its center is the legendary lawman Eliot Ness, who leads a specialized task force known as the “Unknowns” in a desperate, atmospheric hunt for a phantom serial killer. Bendis and Andreyko’s distinct noir style perfectly captures the industrial decay and terror of the era’s most infamous unsolved crime.
Long before he became a household name due to his work on Marvel’s Spider-Man and Daredevil, Brian Michael Bendis got his breakthrough with Torso, which cemented him as a premiere storyteller. The six-issue limited series earned critical acclaim and won an Eisner Award. Bringing this foundational work to life honors Bendis’ creative origin story and offers a new audience the chance to experience the atmospheric dread that launched one of the most successful careers in modern comic history.
A Torso Adaptation Has Been In The Works For A While
Torso Has Been Very Close To Making The Jump To Live-Action
The journey of Torso from page to screen is a saga of its own. With a screenplay by Ehren Kruger and Matt Damon slated to play Eliot Ness, a David Fincher-directed Torso movie seemed destined for prestige status at Paramount. However, both Paramount and Miramax eventually balked at the high production costs required for such a stylized, R-rated period noir.
In 2013, after David Lowery was tapped to write and direct, an ambitious 2017 attempt by Paul Greengrass, titled Ness, also fell through. Each iteration faced hurdles at Paramount, which ultimately abandoned the film in 2018. This long, turbulent history of A-list interest proves that while the road has been incredibly rocky, the cinematic potential of Bendis and Andreyko’s masterpiece is simply too compelling for Hollywood to let go.
