Guy Pearce is in talks to replace Michael Sheen in Bloodshot. Sony and Cross Creek Pictures are producing the movie as are Fast and the Furious’ Neal Moritz and Dinesh Shamdasani. Multiple directors were eyed for the project before they settled on Dave Wilson, who is the partner of Deadpool director Tim Miller at Blur Studio. This will be his feature film directorial debut. He previously worked as a creative supervisor for Blur Studio on Marvel’s Avengers: Age of Ultron. Eric Heisserer, the Oscar nominated screenwriter of Arrival, is writing the screenplay.
Bloodshot is based on the Valiant comic book created by Kevin Van Hook, Don Perlin, and Bob Layton in 1992. Vin Diesel stars as the titular character, a soldier who is mortally wounded and becomes the subject of an experiment to create upgraded soldiers. He can heal from injuries quickly, interface with technology, and shape shift his mass - powers he gained from the nanotechnology that was injected into his blood to save him. Following his resurrection, he is sent out on a mission to retrieve other super-powered individuals called Harbingers. The character has remained popular since his introduction in the Valiant universe, selling millions of comics.
The adaptation of Bloodshot has been in the works for some time. Diesel recently revealed that production has begun this week. Now, as filming is set to begin they have hit a roadblock. Michael Sheen had to leave the project due to scheduling conflicts, leaving the studio scrambling to find a replacement to keep on their production schedule. According to Variety, Pearce is their current choice for a replacement. If the talks work out, Pearce will play Dr. Emil Harting, the scientist responsible for creating the nanotechnology that revives Bloodshot.
Bloodshot is the beginning of what will hopefully be a new franchise. Sony has a plan for a five-film shared universe based on the worlds created by the Harbinger and Bloodshot comics. In addition to Diesel, the movie also stars Lamorne Morris, Eiza Gonzalez, Sam Heughan, Talulah Riley and Alex Hernandez. Pearce will most likely have an influential role in this series as the genius doctor in charge of such important technology. He recently starred opposite Paul Rudd in The Catcher and the Spy and will next appear in the period pic from Focus Features, Mary Queen of Scots.
Pearce is no stranger to comic book movies, having played Aldrich Killian in 2013’s Iron Man 3. Based on his previous work, he has the acting chops to pull off a nuanced take on this role. Pearce also has experience with big action films, having played roles in Prometheus, Lockout and The Hurt Locker. As of now, the film is set to be released in February 2020.
More: Vin Diesel’s Bloodshot Casts Fantastic Four’s Toby Kebbell as New Villain
Source: Variety
- Bloodshot Release Date: 2020-03-13
