John Boyegais set to play a younger version ofDenzel Washington’s apocalypse survivor in a prequel toThe Book of Eli. Boyega will also executive produce the new series, which is currently being shopped to buyers.Deadline reportsthat Boyega is working alongsideGary Whitta, who wrote the original film, andAlbert and Allen Hughes, the directing duo who helmed it. The prequel series will take place thirty years before the events of the 2010 film; it took place approximately thirty years after a nuclear catastrophe ravaged the Earth, so this series will likely take place in the immediate wake of it.
Boyega has science fiction bonafides; his breakout role came inJoe Cornish’s alien invasion picAttack the Block, which now has a sequel in production that Boyega will co-write. He further burnished his science fiction credentials with his role asrebel Stormtrooper Finnin theStar Warssequel trilogy, which kicked off withThe Force Awakensin 2015. Boyega recently starred inThey Cloned Tyrone, a sci-fi comedy fromJuel Taylor. He has also appeared inThe Woman King,Small Axe, andBreaking;The Book of Eliwill be his first major television lead role.
What Is ‘The Book of Eli’?
Released in 2010,The Book of Elistarred Washington as the titular Eli, a wanderer in a post-apocalyptic Earth who seeks to deliver an important, mysterious book to a secret refuge on Alcatraz Island. Eli is one of the few people who can read in the crumbling ruins of the world. Along the way, he passes through a town ruled by Carnegie (Gary Oldman); Carnegie soon becomes his enemy, but Eli befriends his mistress Claudia (Jennifer Beals) and her daughter Solara (Mila Kunis). Together, he and Solara set out to deliver his book before Carnegie and the rest of the apocalyptic scavengers can take it — and their lives. The film also starredRay Stevenson,Michael Gambon,Tom Waits, andMalcolm McDowell. The film received mixed reviews from critics, and holds a 47% “Rotten” rating on Rotten Tomatoes, but it was successful at the box office, earning $157 million USD on an $80 million budget.
Together, the Hughes brothers broke out with their searing crime dramaMenace II Society, and went on to directDead PresidentsandFrom Hell;The Book of Eliis their last collaborative effort. The two have gone their separate ways; Albert directedThe Good Lord Birdand last year’sJohn Wickspin-offThe Continental, while Allen directedBroken Cityin 2013. Whitta co-wroteAfter EarthandRogue One: A Star Wars Story, and wrote for the video gameForspokenlast year.
The Book of Eliprequel series is in development, and has not yet set a release date. Stay tuned to Collider for future updates, and watch the trailer for 2010’sThe Book of Elibelow.
The Book of Eli
Watch on Prime Video
