While another adaptation of Man on Fire, many years after the classic Denzel Washington film, may not have initially seemed like a good idea for Netflix to pursue, so far, it’s gone well. Sure, it has mixed critic and audience reviews, ranging from not-great to just-okay, but critics hated the Denzel movie too. And what really matters? Viewership. And there’s good news on that front.
Man on Fire has been hovering within the top 3-5 on Netflix since its debut, but now, a full week after season 1 debuted, it has now made it to #1 in the top 10 list, a rise that implies increasing viewership in time as word of mouth spreads and interest rises.
I’ve previously said that Netflix is forever in pursuit of its own Reacher type show, anchored on a badass hero, and while they’ve occasionally come close, have never fully landed one. Now, Creasy, also known mainly by his last name, could be their answer with solid viewership, lots of source material and a very talented lead in the form of Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, fresh off his amazing turn in Marvel’s Wonder Man show, which received a rare season 2 renewal. That could be bad news, however, as that means he’s going to be very busy and a second season could be delayed.
Abdul-Mateen recently spoke about the prospect of Man on Fire season 2 before this most recent chart ascension:
“Could be him for a long time,” he said. “Yeah, I actually have thought about it, which means that you got to find a good reason to do it, and you got to really, at least, like it. I always have to love everything I do, but you’ve got to at least like it. And this John Creasy is an incredible character. This has been an amazing opportunity, and who knows what’s going to happen with it? I don’t really find it beneficial to myself to think about that so much. But I’m excited about what we’ve made thus far, and excited to put that out into the world. And anything else happens, we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.”
There are few things more exciting for an actor than to star in a top show in the most-watched streaming service in the world, so it’s no big surprise he’d like to continue adapting the books, where there are five in total from author AJ Quinnell. Any Netflix show making it to five seasons at this point is something of a miracle, but that would be what they’d want to see, ideally. It’s not just America either, as Man on Fire is currently the #1 show in 58 countries, the majority by far, and the other slots mainly taken up by Should I Marry a Murderer?, the show it has just dethroned in the US, and may in those regions soon.
This seems like a layup for Netflix at this point, and I would expect an announcement shortly about season 2, given its performance here.
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Pick up my sci-fi novels the Herokiller series and The Earthborn Trilogy.