It comes as no surprise when superheroes who were already massively popular in the comic book world make a seamless and successful transition to the big screen. Whether they are the producers, directors, or the entire film studio themselves, all the people involved in bringing these characters to life know that they are taking the safe bet and will find at least some level of public acclaim waiting for them at the finish line. This premier grouping includes the likes of Warner Bros.’ Batman, Sony Pictures’ Spider-Man, and, well, the entirety of Marvel Studios.

What is interesting to see is when lesser-known comic book properties suddenly find a much bigger fanfare waiting for them within the realm of the film and tv industry. For example, The Umbrella Academy series on Netflix, based on a Dark Horse comic in 2007, has garnered six Emmy nominations and is currently in its fourth season. Over on Prime Video, The Boys series, initially released as a Dynamite Entertainment comic in October 2006, was also nominated for six Emmys, one of which included Outstanding Drama in 2021. The mature-themed, dark superhero show was greenlit for a fourth season in June 2022. Of course, there is The Walking Dead from Image Comics as well, which has found unbelievable prosperity making the jump into the TV world (with another new spinoff on the way).

Soon enough, Image Comics will be trying to push another one of their properties into the eye of the entertainment world with Prophet.

Rob Liefeld Created a Legend

Prophet From Image Comics Ready for Battle
Image Comics 

Created by one of the two people who originally brought the Marvel character Deadpool to life in 1991, Rob Liefeld brought John Prophet to life for the first time in another comic book called Youngblood just a year later within the pages of the second issue. After being in and out of stasis for over forty years, the master swordsman emerges and mistakenly takes the super team for those who imprisoned him in the first place. Prophet attacks them only to quickly realize they are not his enemies.

Related: Batman: Every Movie in the Franchise, Ranked By Box Office Gross

Even though the character has all the usual superpowers like enhanced stamina, added agility, and strength that far exceeds that of an average person, Prophet’s true story is him not only having to understand the unfamiliar and new social norms of the current world that he wakes up in but also coming to terms with all the sadistic deeds he had to complete while under the control of the evil Philip Omens and his disciples a long time ago. It’s shown that Omens had repeatedly awakened him for gruesome and brutal savagery during the Vietnam War.

In his initial run, which lasted for only seven issues, Liefeld’s time-skipping character donned an over-the-top purple and orange colored armor suit with striking edges that made him fit right in with the other larger-than-life heroes at the time. In January 2012, along with a handful of other characters from his Extreme Studios comics line, Liefeld decided to re-introduce Prophet. This time, though, the character’s appearance was toned down drastically, now looking very similar to that of an average person.

Being set ten thousand years in the future, the new series would be written by Brandon Graham, and the overall goal was to make the modern version of Prophet into a better version of Conan the Barbarian but to have it all set in a vast and dystopian-like outer space with many tales to explore. The finale of the first arc revealed that there were numerous Prophet clones scattered throughout the galaxy. With four different artists coming in to craft the imagery, each one would focus on a different version of the Image Comics iconic hero.

Production Ramps Up On Prophet

Deadpool Creator Is Turning His Prophet Comic Into a Movie
Image Comics

The project of turning Prophet’s story from a comic book into a motion picture has been quite tumultuous. Over twenty-five years ago, TriStar Pictures saw the potential and grabbed the film rights to Prophet. That was up until 2018, when Studio 8 then acquired the license. Once that took place, production reports came steadily along.

Related: Jake Gyllenhaal's Best Movies from the 2000s, Ranked

First, in May 2020, it was announced that the writer of The CW’s Arrow and Legends of Tomorrow, Marc Guggenheim, would write the script. Then on October 7th of 2021, the news was made official that Jake Gyllenhaal would play the title character and Sam Hargrave would direct the movie.

Gyllenhaal played Lou Bloom in 2013’s Nightcrawler and Donnie Darko in the 2001 cult classic of the same name. While Mr. Hargrave is quite sparse in the directing field, he has been the stunt coordinator in many superhero films, including Avengers: Endgame, as well as all three Hunger Games movies.

The only questions remaining are which comic version of the character this film will cover and when it’s coming out in theaters. While a release date has not been publicly stated yet, the plot of the movie will be a modified version of the 1992 comic book release. John Prophet will come back to life in 1965 and be on the run from KGB agents who want his blood in order to make more super-powered clones for their own motives.

Given Image Comics and their impressive track record with adaptations, comic book fans should keep their eyes open when it comes to any news regarding the reawakening of John Prophet. With the recent production developments, the film looks to become a solid contender in the superhero genre.