Despite the success of Power Book II: Ghost, star Abubakr Ali will not see his upcoming superhero project realised.
The actor was due to lead Netflix’s Grendel, but the streaming service has now cancelled the eight-episode order (via Deadline).
Despite being midway through filming, Netflix has decided to pull the plug on the series, which would have been based on Matt Wagner’s Dark Horse graphic novels.
The show was written and produced by Andrew Dabb, whose previous work includes Supernatural and Resident Evil, with the story focusing on Ali’s titular character.
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The synopsis for the series read: “Grendel centres on Hunter Rose, a skilled fencer, author, and assassin who sets out to avenge the death of his lost love.
“But once he comes face to face with some of New York's most menacing criminals, he realises it might be more worthwhile to join them instead…”
Ali, who would have been the first Arab Muslim male actor to portray a series lead in a comic book adaptation, was part of a cast including Prey’s Julian Black Antelope and The Flash’s Andy Mientus.
Despite the cancellation, producers still have the option to shop the series elsewhere.
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Ali, who has also starred in Amazon Prime Video's Anything’s Possible, played Sebastian ‘Bash’ Kemal-Stern in Power Book II: Ghost, appearing in three episodes in total.
The show, which in turn is both a sequel and spinoff to Power, was created by Courtney A Kemp.
Starring Michael Rainey Jr as Tariq St Patrick, the show was renewed for a third season last year, with Kemp stepping back from showrunner to executive producer.
There is also a change to the cast, with David Walton and Mariah Brown joining the roster. Additionally, Monique Curnen will be upgraded to series regular following her stint as a recurring role in the first season.
There is currently no release date for Power Book II: Ghost season 3. Power Book II: Ghost airs on Starz in the US and streams on Starzplay in the UK.
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![Power (Soundtrack from the Starz Original Series) [Explicit]](https://hips.hearstapps.com/vader-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/1567513187-51lJlVQtrgL.jpg?crop=1xw:1xh;center,top&resize=980:* "Power (Soundtrack from the Starz Original Series) [Explicit]")
Ultra Records Power (Soundtrack from the Starz Original Series) [Explicit]
Reporter, Digital Spy George is a freelance writer who specialises in Movies and TV. After graduating with a degree in Film Studies and Journalism from De Montfort University, in which he analysed the early works of Richard Linklater for his dissertation, he wrote for several websites for GRV Media. His film tastes vary from blockbusters like Mission: Impossible and John Wick to international directors such as Paolo Sorrentino and Hirokazu Kore-eda, and has attended both the London and Berlin film festivals.
