Today, The Hollywood Reporter confirmed that Jake Gyllenhaal will play the lead role in Sam Hargrave’s adaptation of The Prophet. The film is an adaptation of a character from the Youngblood comic series. It will likely follow John Prophet’s awakening from a cryogenic freeze and his attempts to adjust to a changing world. Studio 8 picked up the film rights in 2018.
Today, Jeff Robinoz, the CEO of studio 8, gave a statement to The Hollywood Reporter regarding the decision to cast Jake Gyllenhaal in The Prophet:
Jake Gyllenhall is Perfect for The Prophet
Often described as an “anti-Captain America”, John Prophet was a homeless man during the WW2 era. After submitting to a series of experiments under Dr. Wells, Prophet gains superpowers. However, Wells puts him int0 a cryogenic slumber and reawakens in the year 1965. The premise seems to set up a fish-out-of-water story helmed by a character with grit and edge. Jake Gyllenhaal’s casting in The Prophet has already excited many fans, who note that the actor has played his fair share of sociopaths with movies like Nightcrawler and Enemy.
The Prophet Has Been in the Making for Years
Before Sam Hargrave took on The Prophet, another company tried to make the film. In 1995, TriStar Pictures owned the rights to the film and worked to get the project off the ground with produced Rob Liefeld. The project never made it into production, as John Prophet laid dormant, until now. Jake Gyllenhaal will be the first actor to portray The Prophet onscreen.
Sam Hargrave, who has been working steadily on stunt coordination in a variety of Marvel films, will be making his second feature film, having previously directed the film Extraction.
