After joining Marvel’s Cinematic Universe as “Wonder Man,” Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is pivoting into dangerous territory. Netflix has unveiled the full trailer for “Man On Fire,” its seven-episode adaptation of A.J. Quinnell’s novels, with Abdul-Mateen taking over the role of John Creasy—the haunted protector that Denzel Washington made unforgettable in Tony Scott’s 2004 film version. This time, though, Netflix is stretching the material into a series built around Creasy’s PTSD, his search for redemption, and the violence that keeps dragging him back in.
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The trailer leans into that bruised, heavy-lidded version of Creasy rather than just selling him as a one-person wrecking crew. Per Netflix’s official logline, Creasy is a former Special Forces mercenary trying to outrun his past before finding himself “back in the fire” once again. Abdul-Mateen, speaking to Tudum, framed the character’s real conflict less as combat than emotional surrender: “Creasy has no problems helping someone else, but when it comes to saying yes, allowing himself to be helped—that’s when we see him really struggle.”
Created by Kyle Killen, who serves as writer, executive producer, and showrunner, the series is directed in part by Steven Caple Jr. (“Creed II”), who helms the first two episodes and also executive produces. The cast includes Billie Boullet, Alice Braga, Bobby Cannavale, Scoot McNairy, and Paul Ben-Victor. Tudum’s character breakdown also makes clear that the series is pushing beyond simple revenge-thriller mechanics, building a wider world around Creasy, Poe Rayburn, and Braga’s Valeria Melo.
The big shadow here is still Scott’s film, a scorched-earth action melodrama that turned Washington’s Creasy into one of the actor’s most beloved avenging angels. Netflix’s version looks less interested in remaking that movie beat for beat than in returning to Quinnell’s source material and letting the character burn more slowly over seven episodes. “Man On Fire” premieres April 30 on Netflix. Watch the trailer below.
