John Ridley To Write And Direct Superhero Film ‘The American Way’ For Blumhouse

It appears that Blumhouse is getting into the superhero game. However, don’t expect their superheroes to compete with the likes of Marvel Studios and Warner Bros.

According to a report by Deadline, Blumhouse Productions is teaming up with “12 Years a Slave” writer John Ridley on a superhero film based on Ridley’s comic book “The American Way.” But unlike the popcorn fun of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Ridley’s film will approach superheroes in a decidedly more serious, political way.

“The American Way” takes place in 1972 and follows a team of superheroes that have fractured after years of service and have gone about very different career paths. In the history of the series, the US Government created the Civil Defense Corps, which was a group of manufactured heroes that would take on evil, in a nice package perfectly presentable for a television audience. It was all part of a propaganda system that used “heroes” and “villains” to pacify the people.

Years after the first African-American superhero was added to the group, which caused all sorts of strife and turmoil, the group disbanded. The film picks up years later, as Jason Fisher, the aforementioned superhero, is trying to remain a crimefighter in his native Baltimore. The film, as you might imagine, will include plenty of issues that are being talked about even in today’s politics.

This isn’t Ridley’s first foray into comic book adaptations. It was reported that back in 2015, Ridley had signed on to write/produce a new TV series for Marvel that would “reinvent” a classic character. Obviously, with no news from that project recently, and Ridley moving on to “The American Way,” it’s safe to assume that the Marvel Project is dead.

Even though Blumhouse is no stranger to comic books adaptations itself, having worked on the upcoming “Spawn” reboot, “The American Way” is the company’s first attempt at a true superhero film (with “Spawn” skewing into the realm of horror that Blumhouse is known for). It’ll be interesting to see how the production company known for their micro-budgets will be able to tackle the superhero genre. Even though, from the description of “The American Way,” it doesn’t look like the superpowered aspect of the film is the selling point.