You might think that after Fantastic Four, which was a debacle on every level, those involved might want to steer away from comic book movies, at least for a while. That may be the case for some, but not for Michael B. Jordan, who played Johnny Storm in the ill-fated film, as he has set his sights on the comic book-based vampire comedy Blood Brothers, which sounds like it’s going to be awesome.
According to The Tracking Board, Jordan is in talks to take one of the two leads in Blood Brothers for MGM. He’s up for the role of Tree in the film that is described as an "edgy two-hander." While the story does indeed originate on the pages of a comic book, that’s where the similarities with Fantastic Four begin and end. This is not your typical superhero comic book we’re talking about here.
Based on a title from Dark Horse Comics, Blood Brothers follows two centuries-old vampires, Tree, the role Jordan is up for, and Nick. They have been best pals for more than a thousand years, which is an impressive feat in its own right, and have had all kinds of wacky adventures, from smoking opium with Genghis Khan to fronting a death metal band. I guess when you have all the time in the world, you have lots of opportunities to do whatever cool stuff you want.
As will happen over the course of a long-term friendship, a rift finally forms between Tree and Nick, and they’re on the verge of splitting up. That, however, doesn’t happen as a maniacal villain surfaces and sets about trying to kick off the apocalypse, and the two friends must stick together to save the world.
Mike Gagerman and Andrew Waller wrote the comic miniseries for Dark Horse, and some rather notable talents have taken a whack at adapting it for the big screen. Etan Cohen (Tropic Thunder, Men In Black 3) took a crack at it recently, and before he got his paws in it, Jurassic World’s Colin Trevorrow and Derek Connolly also gave it a shot.
According to the report, however, MGM is looking for a new writer and director, and have a definite idea of what they want. Their vision for Blood Brothers is inline with action and comedy heavy buddy films like Lethal Weapon and 48 Hrs, except, you know, with vampires and the threat of the end of the world. I have to admit, this sounds like a damn fine time, and it was pitched as "Ghostbusters meets Men in Black."
Jordan is an awesome addition to anything, and Blood Brothers sounds like it has the potential to be insanely fun. It is neither your typical comic book movie nor your standard vampire tale. There’s no timeline for this yet, but if they’re seriously casting, they must be ready to roll sooner rather than later. In the meantime, we’ll get to check out Michael B. Jordan in the Rocky spinoff Creed later this year.
