It feels like it’s been ages since we heard any update about adapting Michael Moreci and Nathan Gooden’s Barbaric comic series. However, today brings the most exciting update we’ve heard in two years: the project has received a green light from Netflix. The project hails from A+ E Studios, Sheldon Turner, and Jennifer Klein’s 100% Productions. The Medieval fantasy series published by Vault Comics is a brilliantly bloody affair, featuring outrageous characters, strange creatures, and a talking axe that feeds on its victims’ blood.
What’s Barbaric about?
Here’s the official synopsis for Barbaric Vol. 1 from Vault:
Owen the Barbarian has been cursed to do good with what remains of his life. His bloodthirsty weapon, Axe, has become his moral compass with a drinking problem. Together, they wander the realm, foredoomed to help any who seek assistance. But there is one thing Owen hates more than a life with rules: Witches.
Welcome to the skull-cracking, blood-splattering, mayhem-loving comic brave enough to ask: How can a man sworn to do good do so much violence? Hah! F***ing with you. It’s just…BARBARIC.
According to Deadline, Turner will serve as the project’s creator, executive producer, and co-showrunner, with the show focusing on “a ruthless and crass barbarian is cursed to only use his violence for good, which sends him, his talking axe, and a young witch on a road of self-discovery, redemption, and revenge.”
The old Barbaric
In July 2024, Barbaric landed at Netflix, starring Sam Clafin, who would also executive produce. Star Trek and X-Men legend Patrick Stewart was on board to voice the axe, while Michael Bay would direct. Barbaric, in its current state, has no talent attached at this time. This development is a shame, as Stewart would have been epic as the voice of the axe.
Another character likely to appear in Barbaric includes Soren, a powerful witch with a mysterious past. Despite his hatred for her kind, Owen and Soren become allies as they share a thirst for blood and vengeance. Additionally, another character bound to appear in Netflix’s Barbaric is Steel, Owen’s former companion with a history of absurd violence. The roots of their friendship run deep, having shared the battlefield on several occasions.
Have you read Barbaric? I read the first two volumes around two years ago and thoroughly enjoyed myself. The premise of Barbaric is quite ambitious, so I’d like to see the scope and scale of this adaptation. I wish the team luck.
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